By Sylvanus OBASI, Enugu
Barring last minutes hitches, all is set for Otokwu-Mmaku, a prominent community in Awgu LGA of Enugu state to commence its own Annual Inter-village Football Competition scheduled to begin on Sunday, December 17, 2023. This is even as the community has pulled out of the age-long Mmaku Unity Cup Football Competition for some obvious reasons.
PLATFORM REPORTERS gathered that the Otokwu Annual Football Competition which worth One Million Naira Cash Prize would be played by the five kindreds that makes up Otokwu community. The 5 kindreds include: Uhenye, Umuakpu, Eziobodo, Umueze and Umuohagu respectively.
According to information made available to our correspondent by the organizing committee of Otokwu Annual Football Competition, the tournament is meant to entertain Otokwu indigenes and Mmaku people in general as well as build the spirit of love and togetherness amongst Otokwu people who would return during the Christmas and New Year season.
“Our intention is to resurrect football entertainment to it’s maximum height again in Otokwu Bekee, for Otokwu Bekee and to draw the attention of other Mmaku indigenous members to our dear Community”, Goodluck U.C Mbanta, Secretary, Otokwu United Football Team stated in a message posted in ‘Otokwu Social Forum’ WhatsApp platform.
According to the fixtures of the competition, a copy of which was obtained by PLATFORM REPORTERS, the Opening Ceremony of the Competition would hold tomorrow, Sunday, December 17, 2023 during the Kick-Off match between Umuakpu and Umueze by 4pm.
Subsequently in other first round games, on December 18, Uhene will play Umuohagu; on December 19, Eziobodo will play Umuakpu; and on December 20, Umueze will play Uhene; whereas Umuohagu will play Eziobodo on 21st December; while Umuakpu will play host to Uhene on December 22 respectively as scheduled in the fixtures released by the organising body.
A copy of fixtures for Otokwu Annual Football Competition 2023/2024
Meanwhile, investigations by PLATFORM REPORTERS, revealed that Otokwu United Football Team pulled out of Mmaku Unity Cup due to “Injustice, extreme aversion & detestation, abhorrence, loathing, scheming and machination by other Mmaku football teams at large against Otokwu United Football Team”.
This hatred according to Otokwu was caused and fueled by envy and jealousy over the years owing to the fact that Otokwu has carried the Mmaku Unity Cup trophy many times more than other communities in Mmaku .
As a result of this, in a joint circular signed by officials of Otokwu Mmaku Progressive Youth Association and the Otokwu United Football Team on Monday, October 23, 2023, the group officially informed Otokwu Community of its resolve to pull out of Mmaku Unity Cup and kick-start Otokwu Annual Football Competition.
According to the circular which read in part as follows, “We have as a Community football team, unanimously taken a STAND that we shall henceforth maintain our ground and commence fully our Clan Competition in Otokwu of which the Fixture is already on ground & will be posted before 1st December, 2023.
“We see no need of rolling to meet our rivals in the General Mmaku competition whereas same competition is obviously & endlessly hypocritical.
“In every other competition that encompasses Ndi Mmaku at Large excluding football, Otokwu United will consistently be involved. So, no ill-thought, no harm, no ulterior motive, Mmaku is one & none of us would join in any form of segregation as it concerns Mmaku” the group stated.
However, while it appears that the leadership of Otokwu community has approved the decision of Otokwu United Football Team to pull out of Mmaku Unity Cup, leading to preparations and eventual kick-off of Otokwu Football competition tomorrow, some critical minds in Otokwu and Mmaku in general wondered why the Leadership of the automous communities in Mmaku could not address squarely the perceived hatred and injustice alleged by Otokwu instead of allowing them resort to pulling out of the age-long Mmaku Unity Cup Football Competition.
This they maintained could lead to further segregations and proliferations of Football Competitions in Mmaku. Even as some have argued that the same hatred and injustice which Otokwu is running away from could also manifest amongst Otokwu people when one kindred start dominating the tournament and lifting trophies back to back more than other kindreds.
Be that as it may, community observers are keenly watching to see how the Otokwu Annual Football Competition would fare this year and in the years to come.
