While many successful sports personalities have over the years engaged in a never-ending race to amass riches to guarantee their eternal untrammelled personal desires, particularly their unending thirst for a life filled with luxury and privilege, Nigerian basketball coach, Peter Ahmedu, who is the founder and president of A’s Ahmedu Foundation, made it a rare habit of striving to give back to the society, particularly his roots, where it all began.
It is this conscious and deliberate quest to institutionalize the culture of giving back to society that spurs his grassroots sporting projects. Rather than squander the rewards of his hard work on activities that never add value to humanity, Ahmedu, inherently, found happiness in talent discovery with the intention to nurture them to greatness.
On these ceaseless applaudable noble traits flowing in his veins, his foundation, A’s Ahmedu Foundation is set again to engage over 500 kids in Benue State for a 3-day basketball clinic aimed at talent discovery from the budding stage. The program tagged ‘Agatu Pikin, Our Hope,’ is scheduled to hold in Ogwule-Ugbokpo, Agatu local area of the State from 20th to 22nd of December 2022.
The coaching technical director, Coach Martina Onma Emmanuel, former D’Tigeress and founder of MIBAHA Basketball, said the 2022 edition of the clinic is carefully designed “to create the awareness of the game Basketball in the rural areas, deep into the corners of the villages all over the country starting with the home of the founder of the foundation.”
The aim is to create an avenue to put smiles on the faces of the kids while teaching skills of basketball, to empower and to give hope and keep them away from the devices of the enemies.
“The children stand to benefit through this platform to learn the fundamental of the game and learn the importance of staying in school while playing the game.
“We want the public to know that the A’S Ahmedu Foundation has not only desired this program for the early acquisition of skills only but to actualize it by bringing people of likes mind together for sports development in general. And to know that Clinic for all levels of kids can be achieved in a rural area like, Ogwule in Agatu LG of Benue state, host to the best of the best coaches from all over Nigeria,” Onma Emmanuel said.
Foundation project manager, Mr Lukman Omikunle disclosed that the Benue State program is the second in four months having successfully engaged Ogun State school pupils in Otta on a marathon handball clinic in August.
Corroborating Onma Emmanuel on future sporting programs for kids, Mr Omikunle stated further that the foundation has lined up more sporting exercises for Nigerian children in 2023. He said activities will be staged in some selected states across the six geo-political zones of the country.
The foundation had in August 2022 organised a 3-day handball clinic for school pupils in Otta, Ogun State. The program was held at the prestigious Iganmode Grammar School. Peter Ahmedu is an alumnus of the school.
The foundation took over 60 kids to the handball court in the school premises and engaged them in rudiments of the game as the entire parents and lovers of the game showered endless encomium on Peter Ahmedu and his foundation – A’s Ahmedu Foundation.
