The Nigerian Communications Commission’s support for sports development, with particular reference to the popular NCC-sponsored tennis championship for youth, dominated discussions at the launch of a book on sports in Nigeria in Lagos at the weekend.
At the launch of the book titled ‘Sport in Nigeria: Going Round in Circles”, – authored by Sports Administrator, Godwin Kienka, at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Race Course, Onikan, Lagos, where the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, was the Guest of Honour, the Commission was acknowledged as a patriotic corporate institution that has supported sports in Nigeria at the grassroots.
The cross-section of sports administrators and admirers of tennis urged the Commission not to relent in supporting sports in Nigeria for the benefit of empowering the youths of Nigeria as it has done in the sponsorship of tennis across the six geopolitical zones.
The author of the book, Godwin Kienka, acknowledged that the sponsorship offered by the Commission since 2015, has set the tone for the development of Nigerian youths for a future career in lawn tennis.
“I want to appreciate the NCC for having set a sterling example in recent years for other private and public sector stakeholders and institutions to emulate. We appreciate the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta for sustaining the sponsorship when he assumed office in 2015 and for his outstanding contribution to youth and sport development in Nigeria in general,” Kienka said.
Between 2015 and 2016, the NCC engaged in sponsorship of lawn tennis tournaments that rekindled interest in and re-defined tennis competition in Nigeria because of the renewal it brought to tennis development in Nigeria.
Part of NCC’s objective for embarking on the tourney was to help in nurturing and exploring the talents of the Nigerian youth through the robust competition so as to help them perfect their skills. It was also to promote peace and friendship among the players and by extension enthrone pan-Nigeria solidarity of sports enthusiasts.
The tournament, which featured the hosting of several marches in different parts of the country, including Lagos, Port Harcourt, Asaba, Onitsha, Abeokuta, Kaduna, Abuja, and Enugu, also had the objective of fruitfully engaging the players, officials and the youth population in some value-driven activities associated with the sports competition in general.