By Eche Amos
Nasarawa State Governor, Engineer Abdullahi Sule, has recorded, unarguably, one of the fastest goals in a novelty football match setting after he dribbled past nearly five players to put his team, Nasarawa Northern Zone’s Veterans, in the lead barely five minutes into the game against the combined Zones of Nasarawa South and West.
At the high-level friendly duel decided at the Lafia City Stadium on Sunday morning, the Governor who captained his side, earlier, was undecided between supplying a goal-bound pass to his teammate, Eche Amos or to go solo, but he chose the latter option, with his effort narrowly missing the intended destination.
Chairman, Nasarawa State Football Association, Salisu Galadima (a.k.a Basira) and Captain of the Southern-Western team, brought the situation to level terms when he squared the ball past the onsrushing Goalkeeper of the Northern team.
The scoreline remained unchanged until the full-time whistle as the entertaining but energy-sapping friendly encounter ended up with both sides sharing the spoils.
Sule was voted Man-of-the-Match after his stellar performance awe-struck the players and spectators at the Stadium.
Among other notable players who featured in the game were the Nasarawa State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Hon. Jafaru Ango; Permanent Secretary, Chief Barr. Isaac Danladi; Aide to Governor Abdullahi Sule, Ishaq Lamino, and Board Member, Nasarawa United FC, Musa Usman Oruma who represented the Southern-Western team, while Chairman of Nasarawa United FC, Dr. Othman Ahmed Ibrahim; the Director-General, Nasarawa State Market Management Bureau, Prince Dr. Ahmed Ubangari; Welfare Officer, Nasarawa United FC, Adamu Musa, and former Vice Chairman, Nasarawa State Football Association, Hon. Haladu Akwashiki, featured for the Northern Zone, as the State’s Chairman of the Veterans’ Football Association, Hassan Sadiq Okoye, together with his lieutenants coordinated the affairs of the game.
The match was a post-celebraion of the wedding fatiha between the Governor’s Personal Tennis Trainer, Coach Usman Shuaibu Enwo and his heartthrob, Halima Iliyasu, which held in Kpanza village of Farin Ruwa Development Area, Wamba Council Area, last month.
Eche Amos (Fellow, CBS),
PRO,
Nasarawa State Ministry of Youth and Sports Development.
