Deputy Managing Director, Zenith Bank, Mr. Ebenezer
Onyeagwu, gave this commitment as the Delta State Principals Cup sponsored by the
bank got underway in Asaba, said that as the headline sponsor of the national
Women Basketball League, having bankrolled it for 12 years.
He noted that the bank recently launched an under-13
football tournament in partnership with the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF)
aimed at catching young talents.
Onyeagwu, who was in Asaba at the weekend for the formal
opening ceremony of the maiden Delta State Principals, also said the gesture
was to fulfill the bank's corporate social responsibility, adding that the bank
has a bias for youth development.
As sais by him, Zenith Bank’s passion for youth empowerment
programmes has seen it intervene in areas like ICT, and sports development,
adding that in the last twelve years the bank has “singlehandedly sponsored and
supported female basketball league nationally”.
Further, he said the bank sponsorship of Delta Principal Cup
was a move to recapture the competition’s lost glory, adding that the
Principal’s Cup in the 70’s and 80’s was the epitome of sports development.
“For Zenith Bank Principals’ Cup sponsorship, we looked at
it and felt that it is time for us to take bring back its lost glory. In those
glorious days of the 70’s and 80’s Principal Cup was the epitome of sports
development. We felt that by us developing and partnering with Delta State to
refresh, rejuvenate and revitalize sports development we will provide the
opportunity for talents to be developed, nurtured, and it is an opportunity for
us to make it a lot more expansive, make it all inclusive, complement the
State’s efforts in terms social development and also create a basis for
standardization in the school’s curriculum,” Onyeagwu said.
He stressed that the competition would unearth sporting
talents “that can be nurtured and encouraged to reach its fullest potentials of
sporting excellence”, saying “the Sunday Olisehs, Stephen Keshis and so many
other talents abound in the State.”
The sole essence for the bank, he said, is to help Delta
State and individual proprietors of private schools to see how to bring back
sports development to where it was in the golden era of yester years.
He said the bank’s sponsorship was for the long term,
stressing that Zenith Bank’s values of fairness, professionalism will guarantee
future involvement.
His words: "Everything we do we do with all our hearts,
with a whole lot of commitment. Asking that if we are in the long haul is akin
to asking are we doing touch-and-go? It is not a case of touch-and-go.
"We are going to be in the long haul. What we crave for
is for fairness, professionalism, we will not encourage hooliganism,
mercenaries for as long as it is developed, nurtured professionally be sure
that this partnership will be for the long haul," he stated.
Delta Commissioner for Secondary and Basic Education, Chiedu
Ebie stressed the importance of academic prowess in the development of a child,
but noted that sports and extra-curricular activities also play important roles
in the development of a child.
He said one of the aims of the Principal’s Cup was to help
improve schools sports in Delta State, especially in public schools.
"We all know the importance of sports in
education and in the development of the child and so as much as we will like to
ensure that academic prowess is given its rightful position, sports and
extracurricular activities play very important role in the development of a
child. One of the things we set out to achieve was to see how we can improve
school sports in Delta State, especially in public schools” he said.
Managing Director, Hideapluxx , Tony Oritse-Pemu , said he was motivated to
provide a platform to showcase their talents , in a bid to help youths channel their talents from social
vices into productive ends.
He said the Zenith Bank Principal’s Cup is a junior tier
football championship for all public/private schools, adding that it is a
project to revive football at secondary school level.
Pemu said the competition was created to “create a long
career presence for youths in their football life ,squeeze down societal vices
and homeland crimes which is often inspired by high idle time and very
importantly it is designed as a means of encouraging academic excellence”.
In an exciting football match heralding the competition,
Okwe Basic Secondary School, Okwe pipped Zappa Mixed Secondary School, Asabal
1-0.
The goal was scored in the 52nd minute by captain of the
side Chibuike Obiora, following a swift counter attacking move.
Despite the best efforts of the Zappa team they could not turn
the tide.
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