The Deputy Governor of Economic Policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Dr. Muhammad Sani Abdullahi, Phd, will lead a list of high-profile dignitaries to the grand finale of the 2026 Spires 5-Aside Naija Street Soccer Tournament in Lagos this weekend.
The widely respected economic and financial expert before his appointment by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in September 2023 served as a policy adviser at the Executive Office of United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon in New York. Dattijo, as he’s also known, formed the core team that developed the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The (CBN) DG confirmed his attendance in chat with the initiator of the event and CEO of Spires Media Dr. Bankole Allibay on Tuesday.
Dattijo said he’s excited to be in Lagos for the 3rd Spires 5-Aside finale as the initiative has empowered the youth through sports and tech in recent years.
In his words: ” The Spires 5-Aside project is another medium to propel our youth in sports, the next generation of footballers must have a platform to horn their skills and this the organizers have created.”
Dr. Muhammad further commended the initiator, Dr. Bankole Allibay, for his passion for youth development.
” Individuals like Dr. Allibay should be encouraged to do more for the advancement of the Nigerian Youth, his passion to empower the younger generation should be commended. ” The (CBN) DG added.
The grand finale of the annual Spires 5-Aside Naija Street Soccer Tournament 2026 will be held on Saturday, November 14th, at the Union Bank Bank sports ground off Bode Thomas, Surulere Lagos.
Sixteen qualified teams across the five divisions of Lagos began this year’s championship on Tuesday,October 27th.
Over N10 million prize money and other group and individual honors will be presented at the grand finale.
Spires Media and Telecommunications infrastructure giant (IHS) will also present 52 free laptops computers to selected participants of the Spires Sports Meet-tech program completed in Lagos recently where over 200 participants were trained in modern tech skills such as Microsoft, Coding, Artificial Intelligence, Machine learning amongst others.
