By Joel Ajayi
The sports-loving Honourable Ephraim Dauda was on Thursday officially unveiled as the face of the 2025 Kingdom Unity Games (KUG), a prestigious faith-based sporting event set to take place in Abuja from September 6 to 13, 2025.
The Games, which will feature football, basketball, and volleyball, aim to foster national unity, spiritual growth, and youth engagement through sports.
All events will be held at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
Hon. Dauda, known for his soft-spoken nature and passion for youth development, was selected in recognition of his unwavering commitment to grassroots empowerment, peacebuilding, and community service.
In his acceptance speech as the newly appointed Ambassador of KUG 2025, Hon. Dauda expressed gratitude to the organizers for the honour.
“Sports enhance our health and serve as a unique unifying force. Where there is sport, there is no barrier, no tribe, no ethnicity,” he remarked.
He pledged to contribute his quota towards achieving the Games’ objectives of talent discovery and showcasing youth potential to the world.
“I promise to carry out my responsibilities diligently and with passion,” he affirmed.
Encouraging young people particularly boys to seize the opportunity to participate in KUG 2025, he added, “It’s going to bring you out and put you in the spotlight KUG 2025 is going to be the bomb!”
Speaking at the event, the Convener of KUG 2025, Ambassador Solomon Omonokhua, explained that the Kingdom Unity Games Abuja (KUGA) is an initiative of the Kingdom Star Sports International Foundation, in collaboration with Celebrity Sports Magazine.
He emphasized that the 2025 edition is a landmark one, primarily focused on discovering talented youth within churches in the FCT and surrounding areas.
“Our goal is to identify gifted young individuals with athletic talent who might otherwise remain undiscovered,” Amb. Omonokhua said. “This initiative will give them the platform to shine, with opportunities to be scouted by agents from Africa and Europe.”
He stressed that the mission goes beyond talent discovery it is about building a bridge between local talent and professional opportunities on a global scale.
Amb. Omonokhua also highlighted the event’s role in promoting unity.
“KUGA aims to foster harmony among churches, residents of the FCT, and Nigerians as a whole. We’ve extended invitations to individuals of all religious backgrounds Christian, so we can work together in the spirit of peace and collaboration,” he noted.
“Importantly, KUGA seeks to unify the Christian community by bringing different denominations together to support youth empowerment through sports.”
On the format for this year’s Games, Amb. Omonokhua announced that three major sports will be featured:
Football: 24 male teams drawn from churches across five major Christian blocs, Basketball: 16 teams (male and female) and Volleyball: 16 teams (male and female
The opening ceremony is scheduled for September 6 at the Main Bowl of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium. Basketball and volleyball matches will be held at the designated courts in Package B of the stadium.
With the unveiling of Hon. Dauda and preparations in full swing, expectations are high for an impactful and unifying KUG 2025.
