Senate President, Godswill Akpabio on Sunday, 9th November 2025 renewed calls for a return to grassroots football development, warning that Nigeria’s football future could remain bleak unless concerted efforts are made to discover and groom young talents across the country.

Akpabio made the remarks in Abuja at the commencement of the second edition of the Senate President’s U-18 Unity Cup, a youth football tournament he instituted.

This was disclosed in a statement released on Monday by his media aide.

The competition, which kicked off at the Old Parade Ground in Garki, has attracted 21 teams, including 16 male and five female squads drawn from different parts of the country.

The Senate President, represented by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Sports Development, Senator Abdul Ahmed Ningi, said the tournament was conceived to revive the talent pipeline that once produced legendary players for the national teams.

According to him, the future of Nigerian football depends on early talent identification and investment.

“With these young men showcasing their talents, this is the future of Nigeria, and there is no way you can grow sports if we don’t go to the grassroots.

“In times past, the Late Keshis, the Okochas, the Kanus, the Amokachis, the Ikpebas and the Tijani Babangidas, who brought glory to Nigeria, were discovered in these kinds of tournaments,” he said.

He added that the President Bola Tinubu administration has already signalled a strong interest in sports development.

“I have seen tremendous signal from President Bola Tinubu in putting sports on the front burner, therefore sports administrators must key into this opportunity that the President has shown in the last two years. It should not be business as usual,” he said.

Akpabio assured all that the U-18 Unity Cup would be sustained annually to groom early talents capable of representing the country at major continental and global events.

The Tournament Coordinator, Hon. John Bassey Ekpenyong, hailed Akpabio for recognising the importance of grassroots competitions in nurturing youth potential.

“This will ensure that future generations of Nigerian youth continue to benefit from this platform, promoting unity, sportsmanship, and national development,” Ekpenyong said.

In the opening fixture, Jaguar Football Club of Abia defeated Amahus Football Club of Yobe 1–0. The tournament continues this week in Abuja.

Nigeria once relied heavily on grassroots football as the foundation for building national squads, particularly during the late 1980s and 1990s.

Local youth academies, inter-state school competitions and community tournaments produced some of the country’s greatest football talents, including Rashidi Yekini, Stephen Keshi, Nwankwo Kanu, Daniel Amokachi and Austin Okocha.

However, the system declined as funding dwindled, school sports collapsed, and private youth clubs struggled without structured government support.

The result has been a shrinking talent pipeline, with national team selectors increasingly turning to foreign-born players while local leagues suffer from low competitiveness.