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| L-R: President, Board of Trustees of Penya Club , Leslie Oghomienor and Senior Vice President, Board of Trustees, Kayode Adeleke |
If people come together to have fun and
socialize without adding values to people’s lives, the society won’t benefit
from their group, but if they empower one youth, it will affect his family and
the entire community.
It
is on this note that a group of concerned and well-meaning Nigerians and pacesetters of FC Barcelona Fan
Club also known as Penya Barca De Lagos Club
are poised
to engage the youths, give them a lease
of life, develop and grow talents, support youth development, empowerment,
leadership and education projects.
Spearheaded
by Nigeria’s Penya Club’s President, Board of Trustees, Mr. Leslie Oghomeinor
with the support of club’s Snr. Vice President, Board of Trustees, Mr. Kayode
Adeleke and others, they are also set to improve and promote grassroots
football via academy and tournaments and career counselling and development,
lending a hand in changing the face of football in Nigeria by partnering with
those involved in the game in Nigeria.
Speaking
at a press briefing in Lagos recently, Mr. Leslie Oghomeinor said that the
better way to nurture and secure the standard of living of the future leaders
of tomorrow is to o reach out to them and better their future.
He
stressed that they want to use Penya Club as a platform to better the Nigerian
local communities, engaging sports, using this platform that is more than just
a fan club, positively re-direct minds and energies of the Nigerian youths in
order to walk the right path.
“With
the theme: ‘Mes Que Un Club De Seguidors,’ meaning, ‘More Than Just A Fan Club’
Penya Club’s president also revealed that the club’s official inauguration, presentation
of symbol of authority and recognition is scheduled for Saturday, June 8, 2013
at Oriental Hotel, Lekki, Lagos. The expected guests include representatives of
FC Barcelona, Mr. Anthonio Freire, Penya President World – Zone 35, Spanish
Ambassador to Nigeria, and the United Nations Children's Fund, (UNICEF) Country
Representatives, among others. Partners of the Penya Nigerian Project include
Russell Smith Nigeria, a global wholly indigenous oil and gas company, Aframero
Limited, Skye Bank Plc, UNICEF and good spirited and charity conscious
individuals too many to list,” he said.
Mr.
Oghomeinor added that, to further our ideals and values, we are out with the
strong quest to assist the less privileged in our immediate society, understand
the huge untapped potentials they have, educating them on what can be done to
ignite their innate gifts and talents, empower them to create a good life for
themselves and for the betterment of a global society.
Furthermore,
he revealed that, “there are over 1335 officially registered Penyes in the
world. This novel idea began in November 29, 1899, in Collasan, as FC Barcelona
with the vision to promote intercultural identity, ethics, good public spirit,
social inclusion, tolerance, sportsmanship, and fair play in all areas of life,
solidarity, and democracy, commitment to society and community spirit was
driven by Joan Gamper, a Swiss Citizen of note. Across the globe, members are
found in all the strata of society. All of them have one common and prominent
trait - the zeal to help put a smile on the faces of others. Notable Penyens
are late Pope John Paul II and Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Prime Minister of
Spain.
“We
see some people come out of nothing and they are able to change the society. We
value helping people, most especially children - our future, and less privilege
all around Nigeria to understand the substance of true humankind and the
potentials they have, provoking the positive side of the god in them. Letting
them know that aside, all odds of life, with self-determination and focus, they
can live their dreams, in pursuant of achieving a good life and for the
interest of a peaceful and united Nigeria. The group, that has already
attracted hundreds of fun loving and football enthusiasts with the heart of
gold, is geared at using sports as a veritable vehicle for effective mental
development, foster national unity, social and cultural integration, genuine
humanitarianism, improved interpersonal relationships and humility, that hinges
on the tenets of acceptable global human society and democracy without
infringing on the culture and the laws of the land.
“We
are going to impact their lives so that they will not lose focus because if
they see some heroes like Segun Odegbami, FC Barcelona players, they will
encourage themselves to make it in life. We are also going to have some
students from schools like Pacelli School for the Blind because the world is not
all about the way things move; it can be rough for some people. We use some
examples shown from recent videos of Lionel Messi. We all know what he went
through. And we are trying to feature Jonathan Akpoborie who talked about his
own story about when he was playing football in Ajegunle and how one journalist
gave him a letter to a coach and he became one of the first Golden Eaglets in
1985. And he said when he got the letter, he went to the camp. And when he
played, the coach and everybody asked him about the club he’s playing for and
he said he was not playing for any club and he is just from Ajegunle. And they
asked him where his parents were and he told them that they were in Ajegunle
and they went there and talked to his parents to allow him to come and join
them in the camp. That is why he is where he is today. And that is why he is
doing what he is doing in his community. We went for under 17 world cup and we
won and that was why he is doing his best in Nigeria because prior to that time,
Nigeria wasn’t winning anything if I can remember clearly. But when these boys
came with the cup people started to believe in the under 22. And through that
system, we saw some people like Kanu Nwankwo and the rest of them and they have
done a lot for our society today. This is what we can do in our own way. We
have a lot we are going to do with this brand in helping the society. That is
what we basically stand for here. “It’s more than a fan club” is our mantra.
“We
are inviting many people from different sections in Nigeria and expecting
people from corporate world, sports world, journalists, business men and women,
children with special need, school children and so on. I hereby urge every
Nigerian to be a part of this project. It is all about the development of the
society. It goes beyond that day. It aims to establish sportsmanship and social
integration irrespective of social background. It is all about the youth
development. We are also going to give that opportunity for people to be
exposed in all kinds of international competition. We have about seven
competitions which will take place annually with which people at the grassroots
can attend through the Penya. So when they are part of the Penyes, they will
get that international exposure. There are more opportunities there to see life
beyond the street where people can see and interact possibly with some of the
fans out there and believe.”
He
mentioned Late Chief MKO Abiola as his role model because the late business mogul and
philanthropist came from a humble background, became rich and used his wealth to
help the less privileged.
Also
speaking, the club’s Vice President, Board of Trustees Mr. Kayode Adeleke
traced the
history of Penya from a time that people in Barcelona had an issue with the
central government in Madrid and the government cut them off and even stopped
them from benefitting from some social activities like football, and stopped
sponsorship of their football game. “Because of that, they developed a kind of
strategy to start getting their supporters footing their bills. So the
supporters were the ones that were giving them money to buy wears, boot and
footballs. So FC Barcelona was mainly funded by supporters. It was based on
divide and rule type of government that if you are not with me then you are
against me. Football has gone beyond just making small money.
“To
form a Penya Club in any country, you have to be a card carrying member of the
club. What we are doing is grassroots’ soccer movement to get the youth
together and build in their minds what will take them away from crime, poverty,
which will develop their minds and they will become the leaders of tomorrow.
“Our interest in using Penya Barca as a
leverage is strongly informed by the spirit of giving, while having fun and
enjoying ourselves, stand on the club’s universal shoulders to bring to light
those who have through honesty, hard work, determination and perseverance weathered
great storms of life and still stand like the palm tree flourishing in all
areas of life to the awe of the cynics.
Penya
in Nigeria has come to promote the spirit of mutual benefit, trust, goodwill,
and understanding. In addition, promote good quality children education, true
democracy, tolerance, national peace, and unity. Penya Barca De Lagos Club is
more than just a fan club. It is the new expression of life. Your collaborating
with her would add positive value to the Nigerian society,” Adeleke said.
He
revealed that anybody can be a role model to anyone, depending on what you want
to learn from them.
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