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*Football Can Unite Plateau, Create Opportunities for Young People* — Senator Simon Mwadkwon
Former Senate Minority Leader, Senator Simon Mwadkwon, has described football as a powerful tool for promoting unity, discovering talent and creating opportunities for young people across Plateau State.
Sen. Mwadkwon made the remarks during an engagement with Plateau State Football Association Chairman, Hon. Dr Suleiman Yahaya-Kwande, and a delegation of football stakeholders, including former Plateau players who have featured professionally in different parts of the world.
The meeting followed Mwadkwon’s appointment as Patron of One-Goal Plateau, an initiative seeking to use football to promote unity and support the development of the game in the state.
Speaking during the engagement, Mwadkwon said football has the capacity to bring people together irrespective of their ethnic, religious or social backgrounds.
“You know football is a uniting force. It brings people together,” Mwadkwon said.
“At that moment, people forget about where you are coming from.”
Mwadkwon said Plateau State’s diversity should be regarded as a strength, arguing that sport can provide common ground for people from different communities.
According to him, football and other sporting activities can play an important role not only in recreation but also in youth engagement, peaceful coexistence and community development.
He called for sustained investment in programmes capable of identifying talented young athletes and providing pathways for them to develop their abilities.
The former senator recalled an earlier initiative in which about 50 young people were brought together and connected with coaches across different sporting disciplines.
“I took about 50 youths to the stadium and met different coaches — those in basketball, football, cycling and the rest,” he said.
According to Mwadkwon, the athletes underwent about three weeks of training, after which some of the most promising participants were identified.
Mwadkwon said his broader ambition has been to see young athletes pursue sporting excellence without abandoning their education.
He cited educational systems where schools and universities provide opportunities for students to combine academics with competitive sport.
“There are universities in the US that combine both athletics and academics. That was my dream,” he said.
He explained that his interest in youth development had also informed his involvement in football competitions designed to engage young people, discover talent and strengthen relationships among communities.
Mwadkwon urged stakeholders to look beyond football simply as entertainment and recognise its potential contribution to youth empowerment, social cohesion and economic opportunities.
He also commended Plateau FA Chairman, Prince Dr Suleiman Yahaya-Kwande and his team for their efforts in grassroots football development.
Mwadkwon said cooperation among football administrators, coaches, former players, government and the private sector would be crucial to expanding opportunities for young athletes in Plateau State.
Hon. Kwande, a former member of the Nigeria Football Federation Executive Committee, has been involved in initiatives focused on grassroots football, talent identification and youth development.
Mwadkwon said stronger collaboration among stakeholders could help Plateau discover more young talents and establish clearer pathways for promising players and athletes to develop their careers.
For him, football’s significance extends beyond results on the pitch.
By bringing communities together while creating opportunities for young people, he said sport could become an important part of Plateau State’s broader drive for unity and youth development.
