Often have we heard the wordsmith talk about a ‘cat with nine lives,’ but there was a story not too long ago in Surulere area of Lagos State, Nigeria, which brought forth the reality of CATS that touched more than nine lives.
This is the story of a youth development and empowerment project sponsored by The British Council in Nigeria, which relied on the tool of football as a vibrant sport to propel the agency’s target of lifting teeming youths from the inner communities to international limelight.
That brought about what became known as Community Action Through Sport (CATS), which hit tops after it symbolically commenced operations on the anniversary of Nigeria’s Independence Day, October 1, 2001, with a view to reaching far out and touching as many lives as possible.
That was the target of The British Council, which popped into the progressive picture through a renowned medical practitioner, Dr Ayo Desalu, who linked up with a colleague of his on the then executive board of Lagos State Football Association, Alhaji Agboola Dabiri, to bring into reality what initially appeared to be nothing but a pipe dream.
However, backed by the reach, acumen, mettle and vision of his youth football development and teenage support impetus, starting from his ownership of Farmers Football Academy of Surulere and his role as the pioneer president of Nigerian Grassroots Football Federation (NGFF), Alhaji Dabiri set about making impossibility become possible.
That marked the beginning of turning dreams into reality, as Dabiri pooled all resources together from NGFF, backed by the already existing foundation of their lofty pet project and bludgeoning centre of excellence, National Grassroots Dream Team at White Sand Field, Orile-Iganmu, Lagos.
Dabiri pooled resources together with NGFF secretary-general, Oscar Ezinwa Emmanuel and the media officer, Sam O’Femi Fasetire to set in motion what turned out to be Nigeria’s biggest and most successful community reach out youth sports venture.
The trio put their heads together with technical acumen, effort and material provided by Coach Anthony Onuoha, of blessed memory, who was then the gaffer at former Super Eagles’ winger and 1994 African Footballer of The Year, Emmanuel Amuneke’s pet club, Soccer Warriors FC of Orile-Iganmu, Lagos.
Together, they scurried the nooks and crannies of Lagos State, from Surulere to Ebute Metta, to Okoko, Ikorodu, Epe, Agege and beyond, all in search of not only football talents, tomorrow’s stars of today, but also youth in need of support in academic and vocational training.
That set the stage for tentative steps that put the ball in motion at K. Kotun Memorial School, Bode Thomas Street, Surulere, which was founded by Dabiri’s mother, also of blessed memory, and the family was more than willing to welcome the teeming starry eyed kids and mentors, as they set about putting in place training schemes for tailoring, shoe making, catering and barbing.
Such a promising ensemble it surely was; with kids turning up every Saturday to learn one new trick or the other, as they coined words like fashion designer, hair stylist, cobbler and dietician to add colour to the vocational training that had been set in motion in grand style in the hall and some selected classrooms of the school that is still owned till this day by Dabiri’s family.
However, CATS was basically for sports, football in particular, not just vocational training; hence the frenzy that erupted when an announcement went out that the project was set to roll fully with the ‘S’ in its name, starting on October 1, 2001 – until sponsorship ended in 2007.
The football frenzy began with trials for kids from Puma FC and Jolomi Boys of Surulere as well as Santana Boys of Ojo, Doyin Okpara of Ebute Metta and Coach Issa Sta…
Today cats is fully back stronger and more energetic with Mr Agboola Dabiri, former students who are now coaches chinaza , sunday Kehinde, Onyinye. And two other Lagos state coaches, Mr Lawson Olatunde and Mr John Uduak.
