Nollywood actor and holder of the national honour of Member of the Federal Republic (MFR), Chinedu Ikedieze, popular as Aki, is promoting peace with football in his Bende community of Abia State.
He recently donated a trophy for a football competition in the community named Uzuakoli Peace Cup, to further promote peaceful living among indigenes of the state.
“When young people work and play together, love grows; there is also peace in that society. That was why I decided to sponsor that mini competition while I was on vacation and had to fly back for the trophy presentation and return to my family. Next year, we will strive to make the competition take a larger scope by involving the entire local government council. We just pray that we get the required funds to do that,” the diminutive actor said.
A statement from Aki’s media company, Media Image Managers (MIM), said the event formed part of the actor’s activities during his one-month vacation.
Teams sprang up almost immediately along with existing ones and played the round robin contest with a winner emerging days after.
Aki, who was present at the trophy presentation, described the camaraderie the competition brought as a solid foundation for lasting peace.
Born in Bende, Abia State, Ikedieze is renowned for playing alongside his long-time partner, Osita Iheme (Paw Paw), in most movies, after they came to the limelight in the movie, Aki na Ukwa.
In 2007, Ikedieze received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA). He is a trained writer.
