The 455 Base Services Group of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) in Kano has officially kicked off the 4th annual Chief of Air Staff Under-20 Football Competition, with 36 teams from across the country set to compete.
The tournament aims to engage young Nigerians in sports while addressing critical societal issues.
At the opening ceremony, Group Captain Mustapha Suleiman, Base Commander of the NAF in Kano, emphasized the importance of such initiatives in fostering positive youth engagement.
“The Nigerian Air Force has adopted this non-kinetic approach to engage youth in the fight against insurgency, drug abuse, and other social vices.
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“It is part of our broader effort to redirect the energies of young people who may have been exposed to these challenges,” he said.
Suleiman highlighted the significance of the tournament as a platform for fostering teamwork, discipline, and national unity among young Nigerians.
He also credited Nigeria’s 22nd Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hassan Balla Abubakar, for introducing the youth-focused initiative and praised the leadership of Air Vice Marshal A.Y. Abdullahi of the Air Training Command for his commitment to utilizing sports as a tool for positive youth development.
The competition, organized in collaboration with the Africa Youth Sports Federation, saw an exciting opening match where the NAF Kano team triumphed over Black Spiders FC from Kaduna with a commanding 4-0 victory.
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