NGO organises professional snooker competition in Lagos

Come Alive Initiative, an NGO, says it is organising a two-day snooker competition to meaningfully engage youths and create recreation for adults, especially in the Obawole area of Ogba, Lagos, as they prepare for the Yuletide.

The competition is being co-sponsored by Meer Essentials Ltd and Allied Amusement Nigeria Ltd, a leading snooker marketing and manufacturing firm in the country.

The championships tagged “1st Obawole Professional Snooker Competition’’ will hold from Dec 16th and 17th at Adam’s Gate Hotels and Suites Obawole in Ogba, Ifako-Ijaye Local Council Development Area, Lagos State.

The National Coordinator of Come Alive Initiative, Victor Enwezor, said on Wednesday in Lagos that the organisation put together the competition as its own way of giving back to the society by engaging the youths.

“We have looked at the situation of the Nigerian youths and felt that apart from our other activities, use this competition to engage our youths meaningfully and take their minds off vices.

“We felt so because those that will participate will be busy training to perfect their skills in readiness for the competition and therefore will have little time to think or engage in negative activities.

“It is also a way of promoting the game of snooker in Nigeria,’’ he told NAN.

“The competition is also designed to enrich the pockets of the participants in whatever small way and that is why the winner will take the star price of N15,000 and the first and second  runners-up N10,000 and N5000 respectively.

“There will be lots of consolation prizes as well as other side attractions, including stand-in DJ, live band among others.’’

The event, he said, would be an annual event and would continue to witness innovations as well continue to promote the game of snooker as a gentleman’s game.

NAN reports that snooker is a cue sports which originated among British army officers in Etawah, India in the latter half of the 19th century.

It is played on a rectangular table covered with a green cloth or baize, with pockets at each of the four corners and in the middle of each long side.

Using a cue and 16 colored balls, each player must strike the white ball to pot the remaining balls into the pocket, first to pot the black ball wins the game.

NAN also reports that Come Alive Initiative is youth development and empowerment organisation which presently focuses on the rehabilitation and re-integration of drug addicts into the society as well as empowering and giving them a new lease of life.

The organisation has currently rehabilitated over 30 youths and young adults in different parts of the country.

It also promotes the importance of effective giving for the development and assistance of the needy in communities and assists rehabilitated drug addicts with stigma and promote their tolerance and acceptability in communities in association with other government and non-governmental institutions.