IHS teams up with Spires for Lagos Street Soccer Championship

Telecommunications company IHS has teamed up with the Spires 5-Aside Naija Street Soccer Tournament for the 2026 Lagos State Championship taking place in October, according to The PUNCH.

This partnership was announced in Lagos on Wednesday, with the Lagos State Sports Commission involved. The Director-General, Lekan Fatodu, and other officials were present at the event.

Victor Ottah, the public relations manager for Spires Media, stated that this partnership would expand the street football project beyond just playing matches. He mentioned initiatives aimed at involving participants and communities.

Ottah noted that IHS, which operates over 16,000 mobile phone towers and sites across Nigeria, will introduce important innovations to the project through this collaboration.

“This partnership is one made in heaven. IHS is known for bringing people closer through its work in the telecommunications industry, and now it is joining forces with Spires Media to drive the 5-Aside project with significant innovations,” he said.

Fatodu praised IHS for joining with Spires Media, stating that the commission has been following the tournament's growth over the past three years.

“This is a partnership that is long overdue. We have closely monitored the activities of Spires Media through the Spires 5-Aside Naija Street Soccer project in the last three years, and I make bold to say it is the most professionally run 5-Aside tournament, not only in Nigeria but across the West African sub-region,” he said.

The head of the Lagos sports commission also promised support for the 2026 championship. He assured the organisers and IHS that they would have a good environment for the tournament.

Bankole Allibay, the chief executive officer of Spires Media and the person behind the tournament, shared his excitement about the partnership and its potential impact.

“I must appreciate IHS for trusting us enough with this project. We have done this alone in the last three years and the successes recorded are there for everyone to see. Now imagine what we can achieve with this partnership,” Allibay said.

The next phase of the partnership between IHS and Spires will be announced in collaboration with the Lagos State Football Association on September 1.

The third season of the Spires 5-Aside Naija Street Soccer Tournament is set to kick off on October 24, with 16 teams from five divisions in Lagos competing in the championship.