The OGWUS Youth Empowerment and Community Development Organisation (OYECDO) has unveiled two grassroots football tournaments aimed at engaging young people and tackling youth restiveness in communities across the Niger Delta.
The competitions — the 2026 Upata Unity Football Cup and the 2026 OGWUS Empowerment Cup, Abua/Odual — are designed to provide productive opportunities for youths while promoting football talent development and community engagement.
According to OYECDO, the initiative is particularly important given challenges affecting young people in the region, including unemployment, drug abuse, cultism, kidnapping, oil bunkering and other forms of youth restiveness.
The organisation believes organised football can help promote discipline, teamwork, leadership and peaceful coexistence, while also creating a pathway for talented players to attract professional clubs and scouts.
Founder and sponsor of the tournaments, Eur Ing Professor Chinedu Ogwus, said investing in young people is essential to building safer and more resilient communities.
OYECDO also highlighted players from previous editions who have progressed into professional football structures, including Rivers United, as evidence of the opportunities grassroots competitions can provide.
Registration for the 2026 OGWUS Empowerment Cup is currently ongoing.
