Abia State Government will on Friday, 23 August 2025, commence the Abia Soccer Festival (ASF), a grassroots football tournament designed to identify and nurture talented male youths aged between 16 and 23.
The Football Tournament, organised by the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, is aimed at developing sports at the grassroots level, with a focus on active participation by football clubs across the 184 wards in the State.
Addressing Journalists on Friday at the JAAC Secretariat, Umuahia, on the progress made since the inauguration of the organising committee on 1 July 2025, the Vice-Chairman of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the Abia Football Fest, Captain Eric Asomugha, said the LGA-level competition would commence on 23 August and culminate in a state-level contest involving the best teams from each LGA.
“We have 184 wards in Abia State, from 17 local government areas, competing in a total of 202 matches over six or seven months.
“We are working on different things. We are going to have the best player of each match. We shall be inviting scouts from Local, State, National and International levels to discover the talents that will emerge from this great tournament.
“Every good player has an opportunity to progress beyond this tournament. Moving forward, we are going to have a draw.
“We have three senatorial districts in Abia State, and we are going to hold a draw in each of these zones for the local governments under them,” Captain Asomugha stated.
He disclosed that the committee would organise a seminar to educate officials and participants on the rules of the game and update them on recent developments in the world of sports.
Captain Asomugha, who described the Abia State Wards & Local Government Football Tournament as the first of its kind, saluted Governor Alex Otti for his interest in sports development.
He announced that the seminar would begin on Tuesday 13 August for Abia South, at the Aba South LGA hall; on 15 August at Ohafia headquarters for Abia North; and on 16 August in Umuahia for Abia Central.
Contributing, the Member representing Umuahia Central State Constituency and Co-Chairman of the House Committee on Sports, Hon. Anthony Chinasa, described the tournament as talent-hunt driven and said the initiative would give Abia youths the opportunity to gain recognition in football development globally.
He noted that Abia has been known for several innovations in the past two years, noting that “the reason is because of the man who is at the centre of activities in Abia State, His Excellency, Dr Alex Chioma Otti, OFR”.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Prince Uzor Nwachukwu, and his Youth and Sports Development counterpart, Sir Nwaobilor Ananaba, thanked Governor Otti for his strong support for sports development in the state.
While commending members of the organising committee for their hard work in driving the process, they said the event was not just a football competition but a sustainable initiative to discover and nurture talents that would make Abia and Nigeria proud.
The Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, the Secretary of the ASF LOC and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Lady Oge Maduka, Esq., and other members of the LOC, including Dr Kalu U. Kalu and Sir Charles Nwokocha, were also present at the briefing.
