Nigerian football legend, John Mikel Obi has set up a partnership with Vyootopia, a festival of sports, culture, and entertainment in a bid to extend his legacy with social impact activities by empowering millions of youths in Africa and beyond.
Following his retirement from football, Nigerian international soccer star, John Mikel Obi has partnered with Vyootopia, a festival of sports, culture and entertainment, to extend his legacy with social impact activities that drives ‘SEERIE’ ( S- Safeguard, E – Educate, E – Empower, R – Rebuild Communities, I – Inspire, E – Entertain). This is in a bid to empower millions of youths in Africa and beyond.
The maiden edition of the Vyootopia Festival which drives ‘SEERIE’ ( S- Safeguard, E – Educate, E – Empower, R – Rebuild Communities, I – Inspire, E – Entertain), kicks off on Thursday, December 8 at the Wave Beach in Lagos, with a digital sports conference, ball juggling challenge, fitness, and beach football, culminating in an Afroterra musical concert, at the same venue.
The Project Manager, Dr. May Ikeora stated that the event is organised to educate and empower young people: “The Vyootopia Festival of sports, entertainment, and culture is a multicultural festival that leverages sports and entertainment to curate socially immersive events and impactful conversations that can accelerate sustainable developmental initiatives for youths and their communities in Africa. Mikel is not new in this space especially with regards to the work he has been doing through his Not-for-Profit (Mikel Obi Foundation) and his famous Back2Base Project.”
This edition of Vyootopia Festival, which coincides with the 2022 FIFA World Cup, aims to fuse the passionate energy of football and the creative brilliance of African music and culture into a memorable, recreational live experience for fans and followers of sports and music.
Through their partnership with Mission89, a research, education and advocacy organization inspired by the 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, FIFA’s Article 19 intended to protect the commercial movement of footballers under the age of 18 and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) principles prohibiting the exploitation of young athletes, ensuring that they are protected from unscrupulous recruiters and agents, Vyootopia goes above and beyond to safeguard youths from human trafficking and irregular migration in and through sports.
