Football Community Mourns Late Ekene Adams

The Nigerian Football Community was yesterday thrown into a mourning mood following the news of the demise of the Chairman of the House Representatives Committee on Youth and Sports, Hon. Ekene Adams.

Adams passed on in the early hours of this Tuesday. The sports minister, John Owan Enoh remarked that the late legislator had a deep passion for sports, which is exemplary.

The minister extended his deepest condolences to his family. Enoh expressed his sadness, stating, “Honourable Ekene was deeply passionate about sports and played a significant role in the growth and development of sports in Nigeria.

“I offer my heartfelt condolences to Honourable Ekene’s family. He was a sportsman par excellence who not only played the game but also administered and invested in it. We will miss his wealth of experience and the passion he brought to sports,” he stated.

President of Nigeria Football Federation, (NFF), Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau, in a letter he signed to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, extolled the virtues of the late Hon. Adams, saying the deceased was “the leader of a very important committee in the House of Representatives and a man who was very much alive to his duties, tasks, assignments, obligations and responsibilities.

“As someone who has worked in football all his life, contributing his quota to the development of the game on the domestic front, Hon Ekene Abubakar Adams was well-known to the entire football fraternity, and it was no surprise that he was very keen on further development of the game of football in the country while he served as Chairman of the House Committee on Youth and Sports Development.

Also, the leadership of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) has expressed shock over the demise of Hon. Adams.
SWAN President, Mr. Isaiah Benjamin, in a statement through the Association’s Secretary-General, Amb. Ikenna Okonkwo described Hon. Ekene’s death as irreparable while commiserating with his immediate family, Football fraternity, National Assembly and the entire sporting sector.
“To say I’m sad about the demise of Hon. Ekene is by far an understatement. I’m still shocked and is unbelievable that a man of his calibre and quality is no more. Hon. Ekene who has been a long close friend of the sporting media is a man worthy of emulation.
“Sincerely, Hon. Ekene lived well within his short stay on earth. I really find it difficult to believe he is no more on this side of living. I pray that his good deeds on earth will keep his memories alive with all of us,” he said.
Before emerging as the member representing Chikun/Kajiru Federal Constituency of Kaduna State in the House of Representatives in 2023, Hon. Ekene was the General Manager of the Nigerian Premier Football League side, Remo Stars and Kada City.
He was also a footballer and has played other crucial roles within Nigeria’s sporting arena.