Levante of Spain winger, Moses Simon has reflected on his growing up days in Kaduna, and says he felt so much at home in liberal northern City of Crocodiles, to the extent that he sometimes forgot that he originally hails from Benue State.
The former SK Trencin of Slovakia and KAA Gent of Belgium star is back in the Kaduna State capital, after thrilling for Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, where he got two assists in two matches, en route to the team’s bronze medal-winning feat, which he says he adores a lot.
He equally declared how much he loves his roots in Kaduna, hence his decision to foot the bills of a youth football competition in the city that has a strong football heritage and production of Nigerian stars, where he was officially received by government officials on Friday.
Simon spoke after paying a visit to Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, who was represented by his deputy, Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe, who the 24-year-old told how happy he was to have been bred in Kaduna through his formative years and started his football career there.
He added: “I am very pleased to be received here in Kaduna state. I am actually from Benue State but grew up in Kaduna.
“Everything about my life is in Kaduna, so Kaduna is my adoptive state. I am happy to be received in and welcomed here.
“I thank the fans who came out. I appreciate the state governor Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, deputy governor Dr Hadiza Balarabe and commissioner of sports development, Kabiru Mato.
“This memory is to last a very long time. I wish to give back to the society where I grew up and that’s why I am organising a tournament.
“(This is) where we can discover young talents from the grassroots. That’s how I was also discovered here in Kaduna, in the grassroots.”
