Super Eagles captain, William Troost-Ekong raised over ₦47m in auction sales on Sunday evening, during the Troost-Ekong Foundation Fundraising Gala held at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The night, a glamorous blend of sport, entertainment and philanthropy, was attended by an influential guest list including Senior special assistant on grassroots sports development to President Bola Tinubu, Adeboye Adeyinka, Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, Nigeria Football Federation president Ibrahim Musa Gusau, former Super Eagles coach Augustine Eguavoen, renowned lawyer Bobo Ajudua, Super Eagles legends Joseph Yobo and Brown Ideye, as well as current players Moses Simon, Stanley Nwabali and Tolu Arokodare.
Celebrities such as Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, Bovi, Funny Bone, Pencil and Gilmore also added to the evening’s glitz.
The auction segment of the gala saw a heated series of bids as memorabilia and art pieces were sold in support of the foundation’s mission to empower young Nigerians.
A signed Nigeria all-stars jersey from the squad that featured in the June 2024 international window was the centrepiece of the night, eventually acquired by NSC chairman Dikko for N27m after a prolonged bidding war.
A signed Arsenal jersey from Bukayo Saka fetched N5.4m from comedian Funny Bone, who was also among the top contributors on the night, beating Bovi who committed over 5m to the item.
A signed Declan Rice jersey was purchased for N10m by the Atom Foundation. Ex-Big Brother Naija housemate Phyna acquired Anthony Joshua’s signed sparring glove for N2.5m, while Everest Ekong, William’s brother, secured a signed art piece by Slawn for N2.2m.
According to Ekong, the funds raised will be directed towards empowerment in sports, education and skills development, alongside Camp NexGen, a hands-on STEM and sport training programme set to begin later this year and also the launching of TEF’s grassroots U15 football tournament in Akwa Ibom.
Addressing guests during the gala, the Al-Kholood defender reflected on the foundation’s journey and goals since its inception in June 2024.
“On June 2 2024 we launched TEF with a clear mission: to empower young Nigerians. We believe in the power of sports, education and skills development and are committed to creating opportunities for a brighter future,” he said.
Highlighting some of the foundation’s achievements, Ekong noted the distribution of over 15,000 notebooks to more than 50 schools in Akwa Ibom, infrastructural upgrades in orphanages, and support for emerging music talents discovered through community outreach events.
“Our charity football match on June 22 at Mobolaji Johnson Arena raised 10m in tickets alone and drew 15,000 online viewers.
“That kind of support makes initiatives like our sports and skills acquisition academy possible,” he added.
The TEF Charity Match held few hours earlier featured a host of football stars and entertainers in action, including Ahmed Musa, Obafemi Martins, Victor Boniface, AY, Zlatan, and ODUMODUBLVCK, with Team Green claiming a 7–5 win in regulation time before Team White won a ceremonial shootout 4-2.
The evening also marked the official partnership announcement between TEF and Idaraya Otu’s Let Girls Read, Run, Grow foundation.
Otu, who represented Nigeria at the 2012 Olympics and now leads social impact initiatives across Africa, introduced Camp NexGen as a transformative programme combining sports and STEM education for underserved children.
“Camp NexGen is a three-day sport and STEAM experience like no other,” Otu told guests.
“One hundred and fifty children will build drones, fly drones, code video games and pitch business ideas. This is where we plant seeds for Nigeria’s future engineers, entrepreneurs and leaders.”
She called on millennials to take ownership of shaping the nation’s future.
“We are not the future anymore. We are the present. It is time to step up and empower the next generation of change-makers,” she said.
With nearly 60m publicly announced across the match and auction events, Troost-Ekong and his foundation are now set to expand their reach across education, sport and innovation.
“The Troost Ekong Foundation is more than a charity. It is a movement,” Ekong said.
“Together we can unlock more talent, spark more innovation and widen pathways to success.”
Credit: punchng.com
