By Victor Okoye
The Organisers of the World Soccer Legends (War Against Cancer) International Charity Football Match are set to partner the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in fighting cancer in the country.
Jacob Onu, the National Coordinator of the charity match, made the remarks during a courtesy call on NAN’s Editor-in-Chief, Mufutau Ojo by members of the Main Organising Committee (MOC).
NAN reports that the charity football match has been scheduled to hold at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja on Oct. 4.
The Charity football match is in collaboration witlh the Federal Miistry of health, National Institute for Cancer Rescarech and Treatnent (NICRAD), National Sports Comission (NSC) and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
Onu told the EIC that the goal of the event was to raise funds to combat the heinous pandemic ravaging the society called CANCER, using the instrumentality of Football.
He noted that in order to key into President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and great vision of combating health challenges, the MOC members have decided to seek for partnership with NAN.
“This war against cancer we believe is not just for the Federal Ministıy of Health, but for all well-meaning Nigerians who are in good healıh condtion in our rural and urban areas.
“It is this sngular commitment that has prompted us to combine forces to fight this menace of cancer spreading in Nigeria by using the instrumentality of Football to raise funds for awareness, treatment and research purposcs.
“To achieve this objective, it is our belief that NAN has a role to play to ensure the sustainability of this project as President Bola Tinubu is expected to be the special Guest for the football match come Saturdav, 4 October, 2020.
“The import of this request, therefore is to humbly seek the partnership and support of NAN in the coverage of the entire programmme,” he said.
According to Onu, football Legends like Abedi Pele, Didier Drogba, Samuel Etoo, Zinedine Zidane, Austin Jay Jay Okocha, Daniel Amokachi, Kanu Nwankwo among others are expected at the event.
Responding, Ojo assured the Organisers of the 2025 World Soccer Legends (War Against Cancer) International Charity Football Match of the agency’s full support.
He noted that NAN prides itself as the largest content provider in Africa, adding that it was also the national carrier of information in the country.
“Our slogan says, Talk to NAN, talk to all. This is because of our reach. There is no state in the country that you will go to where you will not see a NAN office.
“Beyond that, we also have 12 zonal offices and about 18 district offices because we also want the news from the grassroots,” he said
The EIC also explained that because NAN is a global institution, it has some foreign missions.
He noted that presently, NAN was the only resident West African Agency in the UN in New York.
“We also have an office in Johannesburg, South Africa and another one in Cote d’Ivoire. Before now we had about 12 foreign missions, but over the years, because of the challenge of paucity of funds, we could not sustain some of them.
“But now, we are planning to reopen some of these offices in London, China, and the rest of them.
“So, this is the place to be, especially for such iniatives like yours aimed at improving the human body and I can assure you that we will offer you all the support.
“This is the type of public interest journalism that we try to expose and I urge you to work closely with our Sports desk and whatever media support you need, will be given to you,” he said. NAN
