By Ogenyi Ogenyi, Uyo
Not less than 2,187 athletes from 136 schools across Nigeria are set to compete in the third edition of the MTN Champs grande finale for primary schools in the country.
The athletes are omprised of 464 Cadets, 777 Youths, 426 Juniors and 520 Seniors.
At a press conference in Uyo to herald the competition yesterday Governor Umo Eno called on corporate organisations to increase their support in sponsorship to complement government’s efforts in developing the country’s sports.
Eno who was represented by state Sports Commissioner Mr Paul Bassey however commending MTN for sustaining the competition, reiterating that until the private sector start partnering with government the country would not be able to record better performances at international competitions.
The Governor said the initiative aligned with his administration’s commitment to sports development, adding that plans are underway to stage the next edition of Akwa Ibom Sports Festival to discover budding talents.
“We are very intentional about sports development in the state, aside the sports festival we hold which has produced lots of talents for this country, my administration is taking it a notch higher by establishing a world class sports academy to groom sport talents discovered during corporate initiatives like the MTN Champs.”
State Commissioner for Education, Professor Ubong Umoh thanked MTN for its education advancement policy through sports and urged the winning athletes who would benefit from the scholarship scheme to take full advantage of the opportunity to better their future.
General Manager, Brand and Communications at MTN Nigeria, Emmamoke Ogoro, said the goal remainsmed to have the top talents from the competition begin representing Nigeria internationally within a year.
