General News
DADURO night street soccer tournament, a 3-Aside football competition designed to empower young people, will kick-off on Saturday in Alausa,Lagos State.
Mr Saheed Adepitan, founder of the tournament, disclosed this at news conference in Lagos on Friday.
He said that the night street soccer was a community-driven competition designed to engage and empower young people through structured, and exciting night time sports.
According to him, the tournament will draw participants from various communities such as Mushin, Ikorodu, Oshodi, Agege, Alagbado and other areas of the state.
“Daduro night street soccer is not just a football tourney, it is a community driven, youth- led initiative designed to engage and empower young talent through structured, safe and exciting night sports.
“This is the third edition the competition has grown into a powerful platform for youth development, entertainment and community connections.
“There are 16 teams participating in this edition, with an estimated crowd of 1000 spectators expected per match night.
“The previous editions registered over 1 million media which is a testament to the growing visibility and impact of the initiative,” he said.
Adepitan added that the tournament promotes unity among young people across different backgrounds as hidden talents were nurtured for greater opportunities.
Mr Musbau Olamilekan, the Chairman Tournament Committee, said that the 2026 tourney would encourage positive youth engagement by providing a compelling alternative to idleness and negative influences.
Olamilekan said that the tournament would present strong visibility and impact opportunities for sponsoring brands.
“Our crowd is young, energetic and digitally connected, partnering with us means connecting directly with the heartbeat of Alausa youth population.
“Alausa is the President Bola Tinubu’s Ward, and we are deeply grateful and ready to associate with the president for this initiative that has brought unity, development and a renewed sense of purpose to our community.
“From infrastructure to youth focused programmes, his leadership has created an environment where initiatives like Daduro night street soccer can thrive.
“The togetherness we enjoy today in Alausa across lines of ethnicity, religion and social status is a direct reflection of President Tinubu’s vision for united Nigeria.
“We believe in his leadership, his agenda for youth and sports development and we will continue to support him wholeheartedly,” he said.
Olamilekan said that the youth and organisers of Daduro night street soccer stood proudly to reaffirm their support and commitment for the president Tinubu’s presidency and his electoral mandate.
“Playing football is a normal thing but playing it at night, that must be something that the players, the teams are waiting for, looking up to at the end of the tournament.
“And we choose to be unique, that’s why we choose to play at night, the second runner-up will go home with N500,000 and the winner will go home with N800,000,” he said.
Mr Ganiyu Ajenifuja, the Sports Director, said that the 2026 season league would be bigger than thev previous editions.
According to him, the tournament is more than a competition.
“We are going livestream and we are having close to 40,000 viewers per match. So, now we are looking at how we have a better structure to move the competition ahead.
“During the course of the game, we are keeping the football techniques. The teams know the rules and regulations. It’s normal rules and regulation of men’s football.
“The difference is that these three aside competitions we are playing, is a game of no penalty and a 15-15 minute game,” he said.
Ms Bukola Lawal, the tournament Media Director, said that the tournament had impacted young people in various communities in many ways.
Lawal expressed optimism that the 2026 edition of the tournament would be successful like the previous editions.
“The social media has really helped us to gain more visibility,not just the people in the community alone, but also people out of the community have shown interest in soccer.
“They really want to have more knowledge about it. And this time around, we are willing to show them everything we’ve got for them. This third edition which I believe will be very great, very massive and fun.
“A lot of new things we are bringing in place in this season and everybody, the players and the community members,will enjoy.
“We only appeal to fans and spectators to work hand in hand together for peace and unity,” she said. NAN
A. A
MAY. 1, 2026
Tags: BUKOLA LAWAL DADURO OLAMILEKAN President Tinubu’