The Chairman and Founder of a Calabar based football club, Prince 7 Football Club, Prince Godswill Edward, popularly called Prince 7, has taken his passion for youth development through football advocacy to the national level early in March 2024 when he paid an official visit to the Minister for Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh.
Edward, who is also known to be former Nigeria President Goodluck Jonathan’s son-inlaw, has driven football advocacy for more than a decade. This advocacy tagged ‘Give them Ball, not Gun’ was birthed through his youth development initiative to support and encourage rural sports development amongst young people in Nigeria. According to Edward, ‘Give them Ball, not Gun’ was designed to equip young people in rural communities with education and football skills by establishing football clubs in public schools to give them value in exchange for vices.
He further engaged the Minister on how football advocacy would help solve issues of restlessness and social vices amongst teeming Nigerian youth, especially in rural areas, as well as contribute to value exports in sports.
The Minister expressed appreciation for his visit while thanking the team for driving an advocacy such as this in the country.
