Super Eagles’ former captains, Austin Okocha and Nwankwo Kanu, are among retired Super Eagles’ players to lock horns with Entertainment All Stars at the Campos Mini Stadium on December 6 to create more awareness for the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
The match, put together by Friends Africa, is aimed at eradicating victimization and stigmatization of people living with HIV/AIDS. This game is part of week-long activities to mark this year’s World AIDS Day in the country. According to the non-profit organization’s goodwill ambassador and Olympic gold medallist, Emmanuel Babayaro, also involved in the campaign are Jonathan Akpoborie and Celestine Babayaro, who are in a team that will face entertainment stars, including Afeez Ayetoro (Saka), Jude ‘M.I’ Abaga, ID Cabasa, and Dr. Sid, among others.
In the 2012 edition of the game, Okocha scored a hat trick as the former Nigerian internationals ran out 5-0 winners. At a press conference to launch its 2014 campaign held at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Friends Africa, Dr. Akudo Anyanwu Ikemba, stated, “Stigma and discrimination of people living with HIV/AIDS is the biggest challenge facing the eradication of this epidemic. The fear of being ostracized doesn’t create an enabling environment for people to boldly access treatment or attempt to know their status”. “By combining the love Nigerians have for football, using the former Super Eagles Stars and celebrities as role models, the campaign aims to reach out to 20, 000 Nigerians, creating a platform for people to know their HIV status. The more people we can test also means the more people we can reach in terms of educating them about HIV/AIDS thus reducing stigmatization of people living with it,” she said.
