PROFILE OF HON. CHIEF GOODFAITH CHIBUZO ETUEMENATHE CHAIRMAN OF BASHLYKS SPORTS HOUSE AND EVENTS CENTRE
Hon. Chief, Goodfaith Chibuzo Etuemena was born on the 10th of July, 1971 to the family of Chief Meshack Etuemena and Lolo Virginia Etuemena of Okohia, Umuegbu, in Umumuisiaku, Ideato South LGA, Imo State.
The young Etuemena pursued his primary and secondary school education at Primary School 1, Umumuisiaku and Comprehensive Secondary School Umumuisiaku respectively, in the 1970s and 1980s.
Popularly called ‘Bash’ by his numerious admirers, Goodfaith Chibuzo Etuemena proceeded for further studies in the Netherlands where he studied Linguistics and later to Manchester College in Manchester City, UK where he studied Counselling.
There in the Uk, he joined forces with many social cultural organizations to promote the welfare and culture of his South Eastern Nigerian people. Bash rose to become the President of the Imo Kultural and Welfare Union (IKWU) as well as the Vice President and later, President of the Igbo Progressive Union (IPU) in Manchester, an umbrella group covering all the people from Igbo Speaking States in Nigeria. His tenure as President was remarkable for organizing the biggest award by any Nigerian group of the time on the 29th of November, 2014 during which Governor Anayo Rochas Okorocha of Imo State was given an award as the Best Executive Governor of Igbo Speaking State in Nigeria.
Before his sojourn to the Netherlands, the young Bash seem to have had a destiny attached to football. He was a prolific striker for his community as well as school football teams leading to his being nick-named ‘Bash’ because of the way he bashed in goals in favour of his team. Indeed, many in his community did not know him by the names his parents gave him at birth. He also made record as the first Ideato South son to be awarded an academic scholarship in the secondary school as reward for his footballing exploits.
Bash came to Heartland FC in June 2016 following his appointment as the Heartland FC Foreign Representative in Manchester. His tenure as a Foreign Rep, witnessed the first time Heartland FC will open and maintain an international office in the whole of Europe.
Around this period, Heartland FC was irretrievably facing relegation in the Nigerian Premier league. Bash was promptly drafted back home this time as the Chairman of Heartland FC by the state government, to help rescue the slide. Tried as he did, the team went down though, in very controversial manner that exposed the weakness and lack of circumspect in the Nigerian football.
Undeterred by the daunting task, Bash and his team of management staff worked tirelessly to return Heartland FC back into the elite Nigeria Professional Football League after just one season in 2017. This particular effort was considered a feat as no Nigerian team was known to have returned to the elite league only after one season from relegation.
In recognition of his effort, the Nigerian National League(NNL) Board awarded Bash as the ‘Best Club President, Southern Conference for 2017.’
Bash’s role in rebranding Heartland FC and projecting it as an international football institution, is perhaps, the obvious achievement of his leadership. Under him, the club had Boluspor FC of Turkey as international partners through which Heartland FC enjoyed players and technical officials exchange programmes.
By exploiting the relationship with Boluspor FC, Heartland FC were able to embark on a two-week training tour to Turkey during which players and officials of Heartland FC were exposed to modern techniques in football.
Heartland FC also secured sponsorships with big sportswear manufacturers LIG and Jordan Red that enabled the team to receive modern day tech-designed football jerseys. Heartland FC arguably, wore the best jersey in Nigeria league all through the period of his tenure.
At home, Heartland FC was the only club in Nigeria that flew its players on away matches by plane, courtesy of a sponsorship agreement with Dana Airline. Heartland FC was only joined later by Akwa Utd of Akwa Ibom.
Bash later delved into private businesses which led to the establishment of Bashlyks Sports House And Events Centre. The centre today, ranks as one of the newest and popular recreational sports and entertainment hubs in Owerri.
He is also the founder of Couples’ Night Out, an organizational movement that supports and promotes natural and moral values in human love relationships.
Bash is also a sole sponsor of annual Nze R.A Oforma football tournament through Which many young football players have been discovered.
Bash Awards and Nominations : 1 Award of Distinguished Leadership as Icon of good Leadership by sports unit my radio 101.1 2017
2 Award of best Innovator in club branding by Alvan Ikoko Federal college of education 2018
3 Award of best club president by Nigeria national league 2018
4 Award of best behaved team by Nigeria national league 2018
5 Merit Award as football trail blazer and friend of SWAN by SWAN imo state chapter 2019
6 Award of merit by good people of Okigwe 2019
7 Award of honour 2021 by st mulumba catholic church Owerri parish
8 Award of Distinguished imo SWAN ambassador
Bash holds a traditional chieftaincy title of Nwachinemeze of Umuegbu community while another chieftaincy title was conferred on him by the traditional ruler of Umulewe Autonomous Community in Ideato South LGA. He is married to Lolo Ugonna Vivian Etuemena and the union is blessed with a girl and four sons.
ALL JOIN US TO THANK GOD AS WE CELEBRATE HON. CHIEF GOODFAITH CHIBUZO ETUEMENA, THE ‘BASH’ OF OUR TIME.