CITIZENS COMPASS – Father O’Connell Science College, Minna, Niger State, has emerged the winner of the just concluded 2023 Central Conference of the MILO Basketball Championship.
The team defeated Government Secondary School, Karu, FCT, with 53 points to 49 at the final category of the boys’category of the competition which was held in Abuja between May 12 and 19, 2023.
Expressing his happiness shortly after the event, the head coach of the winning team, Emmanuel Biodun Tanko, said his team lost to the same opponents last year in the same championship.
Speaking about his team’s preparation for the competition, he said, “We had a 70-day period of training. During Ramadan, we were there. It is a testimony that hard work pays. Also, without God we would not have been able to achieve this feat.”
Also speaking, Captain of the winning team, Mahmood Mustapha Mohammed, thanked Nestlé MILO for supporting and sponsoring them.
He said his dream was to play with globally recognized stars in the National Basketball Association (NBA) one day, “I want to give a big shout out to our parents and coaches for always being there for us and believing in us, trusting that we will come back with the trophy.”
Girls’ category
In the final competition of the girls’ category of the championship, Government Secondary School, Karu, FCT defeated their counterparts from Queen Amina College, Kakuri,
Kaduna State by 35 points to 24 points. Both Father O’Connell Science College,
Minna, Niger State and Government Secondary School, Karu, FCT will represent the Central Conference at the national finals of the 23rd MILO Basketball Championship in Lagos in July.
Other teams who will be in Lagos for the national finals are winners from the already concluded Savannah Conference which held in Kano from the 3rd to the 10th of May and winners from the two upcoming conferences – Atlantic Conference in Asaba between May 20 and 27 and Western Conference in Ibadan from May 30 to June June 6, 2023.
Category Manager for Beverages, Nestlé Nigeria, Mr. Olutayo Olatunji, reiterated Nestle’s commitment to developing talents, promoting healthier lifestyles, and instilling values for success in life through sports. “MILO, firmly believes that through articipation in sports, children learn enduring values to help them achieve success in life,” he said.
“We are therefore, pleased to have this opportunity to provide a platform where young talents find expression through MILO Secondary School Basketball
Championship. On the field of play, the teams depend on the discipline, perseverance, courage, self-belief, and respect that they imbibe during practice and through their interactions with each other. These life skills are not only for basketball; they equip the players to navigate their careers and to be productive in society. In a nutshell, ‘the GRIT’ you learn in sport, you keep for life.
Nestlé Nigeria’s MILO Secondary School Basketball Championship has been promoting the value of grit for over 23 years, helping schoolchildren learn essential life skills such as resilience, persistence, stamina, cooperation, and self-belief. These values enable them to overcome challenges and achieve their goals in life.
Nestlé continues to lead grassroot sports development in Nigeria through its MILO Basketball Championship, contributing to the growth of many players in the Nigerian national teams, and notable clubs across the world today.
States who competed in the Central Conference of the MILO Basketball Championship at the Indoor Sports Hall, Package ‘B’ of the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abuja from the 12th to 19th of May, 2023 are Kebbi, Kogi, Nasarawa, and host FCT.
Others are Kaduna, Niger, Plateau, Benue and Sokoto states.
The MILO Basketball Championship has grown tremendously from about 500 schools at its commencement in 1999. It now reaches over 150,000 individual players from over 10,000 schools across Nigeria every year.
