Former Vice President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme has described the contributions of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to youth sports development as exemplary and worthy of emulation by other government agencies.
Speaking during the prize giving ceremony at the end of the final match for the 2016 NCC Tennis Championship held at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan, he said sponsorships like this will help in identifying talents in the sports.
Earlier in his remarks, the Sports Minister, Barr Solomon Dalong said “NCC organized this tournament in all the six geo-political zones of the country including Abuja, without the Federal Government giving a dime as intervention. Yet, it has been a very huge success; evidence that if Federations organize themselves very well there are so much for them to benefit from sponsors”.
“I want to congratulate the young people that have won in various categories including sums of cash prizes. This is an indication that in hard work there is a gain. I want to encourage the young people to use this period of their youthful lives to participate in sports because there are employments, wealth and ‘weapon’ in sports that you can use to combat poverty”.
Continuing, elated Dalong revealed that the federal government will however, continue to invest in sports, saying “we shall in future develop more interest in the governance and administration of the sports Federation to ensure that transparency, accountability and management of resources remains the order of the day”.
In his welcome address, Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Professor Umar Danbatta, represented by a senior officer in the Public Affairs department, Mr. Reuben Muoka said “The Minister of Sports in particular has followed up with us from the fixtures, to starting and now in the finals. He attended and sat through every match. That was a great support to what NCC is doing. NCC is encouraged”.
“We are happy the way it turned as the best team emerged the winner. This team is new in the tournament and they actually invited players even from abroad. The NCC tennis league has come to a stage when teams buy players, and giving home based players succour. The league has brought about stiff competition and the best Nigerian players are participating too.
Business Hilights recalls that this is the second edition of the championship and the Commission has assured Nigerian youths that the tournament will continue to become bigger and better in coming years.
Team Offikwu won the NCC Tennis Cup 2016 and went home with the star prize of N7million, after upsetting the defending champions Tombim who took home- N5million in an exciting tennis match on Sunday at Lagos Lawn Tennis Club (LLTC), Onikan.
Also, Team Civil Defence won the Third prize of N3million while Team FCT came Fourth with N2million prize.
