Akinyemi, an indigene of Oyo State, who doubles as the Umbro representative in Nigeria said he was touched seeing kids wearing torn soccer boots and jerseys knowing fully well that our government cannot do about it.
“I’m a football enthusiast and always got a passion for the game and now a football investor, I looked at the situation in Nigeria and realized that government cannot do everything on their own, and I think the only way we can improve sports especially in Oyo State which is my state of origin is to encourage the young ones to engage in sports which would reduce social vices In our society.
“I have gone round many states of the federation and I discovered that these kids want to engage in sports but don’t have sports materials to do well in the game, imagine a four years old boy that want to play football and wearing a torn boot, soon he will get discouraged and leave the game for something else," Akinyemi, who is also the director of First Class Sports and Marketing outfit, England said.
Spraking further, Akinyemi who introduced the ‘one-kid one-kit’ initiative, said “I think the only way to help this situation is for my foundation to provide them with necessary kits which includes soccer shoes and jerseys. Education is key to sporting career, so we’re also going to support them with scholarships to aid their educations” .
Akinyemi added that he had used his wide contacts to get big clubs into supporting his initiatives, as teams such as Arsenals, Cardif and Umbro have all donated sports materials for the kids, noting that soon other sports like basketball, handball, volleyball and tennis would also benefits as the exercise is going to be a continuous thing that will be extended into other states.
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