By Yejide Gbenga-Ogundare
Nigerian-German professional footballer and Borussia Dortmund forward, Karim Adeyemi, on Monday, watched his team, Adeyemi FC play a novelty match with the Ibadan warriors, Shooting Stars at the Olubadan Stadium, Ibadan.
The 20-year-old footballer, who is on a private visit to Ibadan, his place of origin, decided to watch the exhibition game organised by his foundation, Karim Adeyemi Foundation between his football club and 3sc.
Speaking on the sidelines of the match, the Chief Operating Officer, of Karim Adeyemi Foundation, Mr Olaolu Adedayo, who described the footballer as an Omoluabi who though born abroad understands the ethos of being a Yoruba boy said the Karim Adeyemi Foundation was created to put smiles on the faces of the downtrodden and people without opportunities in the society.
“We have three areas of intervention- football, education, and general environment. What we have here today is the football aspect of what we are trying to do. We have a football club, Adeyemi FC, that is professionally registered with Oyo FA and NFF.
“Today they are playing 3SC in an exhibition game because Karim Adeyemi, who is the icon of the Foundation is on a private visit to his place of origin. He has an Ibadan ancestry, that’s what we are having here today. Even though it is a private visit since he is around, we are having an exhibition game here,” he said.
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According to Adedayo, the foundation is looking to collaborate with stakeholders on the three “specific interventions that we are doing. We want to collaborate; Karim is here today, I don’t know his expectations but he is seeing it firsthand, the players, what they lack, what can make them better and through the foundation, we will do an intervention,” he said.
Adedayo disclosed that the foundation was registered three years ago, but it is going to be formally launched next year.
“We are doing the basics, construction, we want to get that in place before we start our intervention. But before now, if you are familiar with Karim as a person or his dad or his family, they have been doing a lot of charity informally before now and they have continued to do it. But now, we want to make it more formal, documented, and reach out to more people,” he added.
Adeyemi is a 20-year-old German footballer, of Nigerian and Romanian origin. His father is from Ibadan, Oyo State while his mother is from Romania. Karim was born in Germany and was at the last world cup with the German squad. This is the second time he will be visiting Ibadan.
Also speaking, the President of Positive Think Thank Initiative (PTTI), Barrister Olamide Idowu, said the group was at the stadium to give Karim Adeyemi Foundation support.
He said PTTI has a few focal areas, which include civic engagement, environmental awareness, supporting the government’s educational endeavors, and supporting other foundations like Karim Adeyemi Foundation
“Karim Adeyemi Foundation has as one of its projects a football team. But they also have a charity aspect of it, which is a part of what we are coming here to support, trying to reach out to other people. They are doing football today as a form of novelty match. They have also partnered with us and actually given us funds to execute some of our projects before. That’s how we are tied to Karim Adeyemi Foundation. We help to spread the good work they do.
“Some of the things we have done are very visible. If you get to Sango, that junction that goes down to Bodija when coming from Mokola, you will see a traffic stand there where we talked about so many issues, stopping female genital mutilation, about aligning with positive values and positive people.
“That is just one. For our last independence anniversary, we actually went round to places giving national flags and national symbols to make sure people understand patriotism about Nigeria.”
Idowu said the group always tries to support whatever it is that can make society better whether education, civic engagement or just nature.
“We just try to make sure we are around and support things that are positive,” he added.
