The Organizing Committee of the 2025 edition of the Gwagwalada Football League has formally honored the African Projects Development Center (APDC) for its significant contributions to football and youth development in Gwagwalada and Nigeria at large.

 

The Award of Meritorious Service was presented on Friday, January 30, 2026, to the Managing Director of APDC, Dr. Chiji Ojukwu, at the corporate office of the Centre in Gwagwalada, Abuja. The brief but colorful ceremony was attended by members of APDC’s management staff and officials of the Gwagwalada Football Council.

 

Speaking at the event, Chairman of the 2025 Gwagwalada Football League Organizing Committee, Patrick Ngwaogu, popularly known as Odogwu, traced the long-standing relationship between Gwagwalada football stakeholders and APDC to 2005. He recalled that the organization donated the first-ever league trophy to Gwagwalada football at a critical time, an action he described as pivotal to the formation and growth of what is now known as the Gwagwalada Football Council.

 

According to Ngwaogu, that singular act of support laid a solid foundation for organized football in the area, prompting the council to unanimously agree to honor APDC during the finals of the 2025 Gwagwalada Football League, which took place on December 14, 2025.

 

In his response, Dr. Chiji Ojukwu expressed deep appreciation to the Gwagwalada Football Council for sustaining the vision initiated two decades ago and for recognizing APDC’s consistent collaboration and support for youth football development in the Area Council. He highlighted the organization’s broader mandate in youth empowerment and poverty alleviation, stressing the importance of sports as a tool for social development.

 

Dr. Ojukwu also called on governments at all levels to support credible and purpose-driven organizations working to improve the well-being of youths and the less privileged in the society.

 

The Chairman of the Gwagwalada Football Council, Ibrahim Bako, led the council’s delegation to the presentation ceremony, underscoring the council’s appreciation of APDC’s enduring commitment to grassroots football development.