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2026 Plateau Governor’s Cup: *Comrade Prince Miaphen Lauds Yahaya-Kwande’s Grassroots Impact, Backs PFA Partnership*
Plateau State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Comrade Prince Miaphen, has hailed the Chairman of the Plateau State Football Association (PFA), Prince Sulaiman Yahaya-Kwande, for his commitment to grassroots football development, describing his experience, goodwill and contacts as valuable assets to the growth of football in the state.
Hon. Miaphen spoke at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Plateau State Governor’s Cup in Mikang, where Mikang Local Government Area faced Langtang South Local Government Area.
The Commissioner said Yahaya-Kwande’s decades of experience in football administration at the local, state, national and international levels placed him in a strong position to contribute to the development of the game in Plateau State.
“He has decades of experience in football administration at the local, state and international levels, and that tells you the level of experience and exposure he has,” Miaphen said.
“For me to succeed, particularly in the footballing world, I have to tap into his experience, goodwill and contacts if we are going to take football to the next level.”
Miaphen also praised the PFA Chairman’s commitment to grassroots talent development, noting his involvement in age-grade competitions and other football development programmes.
“He is a grassroots personality. He organises U-17 and U-18 programmes and goes to the grassroots to organise competitions and tournaments,” the Commissioner said.
He further commended Yahaya-Kwande for attracting prominent government officials and stakeholders to Mikang for the opening ceremony of the Governor’s Cup.
According to him, the presence of local government chairmen, the Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly, commissioners and other stakeholders demonstrated how sports could help bring leadership and governance closer to communities.
“He has brought local government chairmen, the Speaker, commissioners and other well-spirited individuals to Mikang. It gives our people the opportunity to see leadership and governance closer to them,” Miaphen added.
Turning to the competition, the Commissioner described the Governor’s Cup as an important platform for identifying and developing talented young players across Plateau State.
Miaphen said his attendance at grassroots tournaments had exposed him to promising players who only needed the right opportunities to advance their careers.
“I have attended three different tournaments so far, and in each of them, I discovered some very valuable players, including some of the highest goal scorers. I invited some of them for trials because I believe they deserve an opportunity and the necessary support to bring their talents to the limelight,” he said.
He stressed that the Governor’s Cup could provide coaches, scouts and football administrators with access to promising players from the various local government areas.
“There are many talented young people at the grassroots who only need the right opportunity to be seen and supported.
“Imagine what can be achieved through the Governor’s Cup when talented players from the various local government areas are given the opportunity to showcase themselves. Competitions like this can become important talent-discovery platforms across the state,” Maphien said.
The Commissioner called for stronger collaboration among government, the PFA, local government councils and other stakeholders to sustain grassroots competitions and create pathways for talented players to progress to higher levels of football.
