27th May, 2024 will ever remain green in the minds of Plateau children. Not just because it was children’s day but because the final of the BARR CALEB MANASSEH MUTFWANG’S Under-13 Football Competition will be preserved as a landmark occasion, beyond the spectacle of the football competition but for the display of the magnanimity of one of the state’s beloved son, Distinguished Senator Napoleon Binkap Bali, a retired Air Vice Marshall with a laudable military pedigree, who saw it fit to invest in the simplest of joys – the happiness of children.
Organized by the outstanding Plateau State Football Association, PFA under the leadership of Hon Dr Suleiman Yahaya Kwande, a sport administrator of international repute, the long abandoned Under 13 competition which was resuscitated to celebrate children and discover talents was christened after His Excellency, Barr Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang, the Executive Governor of Plateau State
Senator Napoleon Binkap Bali, recognized for his decorated service in the Nigerian Air Force, and famous for defeating a sitting governor at the polls with more than double the votes the governor garnered, was the Special Guest of Honour who took the kids and fans to high heavens when he announced handsome cash donations to all the 14 participating teams
The money, handed over to the Local Government FA Chairmen saw Wase LGA the winners getting Fifty Thousand Naira plus Ten Thousand Naira as participating team totalling sixty thousand naira. Mangu, the unfortunate losers got a total of Fourty Thousand Naira, Jos North Thirty Thousand Naira having beaten Langtang North in the third place match and the rest of the participating team getting Ten Thousand Naira each
Renowned for his selfless service to humanity, Sen Bali’s act of generosity was not simply a reward for a display of athletic prowess, but a belief in the power of sport to transform lives, and an investment into the future of the children, not just as players, but as citizens of the country.
The act of generosity was met with an uproarious applause that seemed to shake the very foundations of the stadium. Children from both participating teams, spectators, coaches, and families felt the weight of the Senator’s gesture; it was a downpour of hope and goodwill that would nourish their ambitions for years to come. Indeed, the children wished everyday was children’s day because of the magnanimity of Sen Bali
