From: Molly Kilete, Abuja
The 2017 Guards Brigade barracks children and dependents competition sports week has opened in Abuja.
The week-long event, according to the Commander Guards Brigade, Brig.-Gen. Musa Yusuf, is aimed at engaging the barracks youths away from indulging in social vices as well as to discover potential sportsmen and women for their respective units.
The sporting competition which is being contested for by children within the ages of 7-15 from the five units of the Brigade, is also aimed at fostering unity, promoting social development and educate the children on the importance of regular exercises.
Declaring the weeklong sporting competition open at the Aguiyi Ironsi Cantonment, Gen. Yusuf, while calling on the children to cultivate the habit of keeping fit and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, also urged them to be good ambassadors of their parents and stay away from social vices that could destroy their future.
He said that given the security situation in the country when most youths were taking to crime and other dangerous activities, children and dependents of army personnel should avoid anything that would destroy their future, especially now that they are on holidays.
Gen. Yusuf, who charged them to abide by the rules of the game and apply the spirit of fair play, said the competition was organized by the brigade to bring children from all the barracks to interact, make new friends and urged them to use the opportunity to reorient their barracks very well.
Activities lined up for the competition include Volleyball, Basketball, Handball, Badminton, Table Tennis, Lawn Tennis, Football and Tug of War.
The children are drawn from the five units of the Guards Brigade namely 7Guards Battalion, 102, Guards Battalion, 176, Guards Battalion, 177, Guards Battalion, and Guards Brigade Garrison.