Nestlé MILO Basketball Championship: Lagos Wins Western Conference
Written By Dedeigbo Ayodeji Samson
Posted By Town Crier News Nigeria
Published By Fitness Network Communications
Topfield College, Ajegunle, Lagos State, has won both the girls and boys categories in the Western Conference of the 23rd MILO Secondary Schools Basketball
Championship held on Monday, June 5, 2023 at the Indoor Sports Hall of the Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, Ibadan.
In the girls category,Topfield College,
defeated their counterparts from Kings International College, Moniya, Ibadan, Oyo State by 36 points to 30 points in a keenly contested encounter.
The boys from the same school, following the footsteps of their female
counterparts, defeated the boys from Adedokun International School, Ota, Ogun State by 48 points to 17 points in a one-sided game.
The elated coach of Topfield College, Mr. Godswill Anukaku, said: “It is a great privilege to come here and play on this platform. So, I feel very happy and proud that we are moving to the nationals in Lagos, just as we did last year. We won at the Conference here but did not really perform to the best of our abilities at the national stage,
where we finished in third place. But,I assure you that this year, we are going to the nationals to come first in both the boys and girls categories.”
The Permanent Secretary of the Oyo State Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Mrs. C. A. Abioye thanked Nestlé for their invaluable support over the years.
She also called on other corporate bodies to follow Nestlé’s footsteps by
supporting school sports.
Speaking further,Mrs. Abioye said,“The Oyo State Government is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that sports is taken to higher heights. One of such efforts is the upgrade of the Lekan Salami Sports Complex, including the Indoor Sports Hall, the
venue of this programme.
The government encourages students participation in sports
by supporting inter-house sports competitions, which are yielding favorable results in
students’ performance at competitions.”
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; Central Conference, at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abuja from the 12th to 19th of May; and Atlantic
Conference, which was held in Asaba from 20th to the 27th of May, 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 participation 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 the 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. This
is grit, learned from sports but useful in every area of 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 which competed at the Western Conference Of the MILO Basketball Championship are Edo, Lagos, Ogun and host Oyo.
Others are Ondo, Osun, Ekiti,Kwara and Anambra.
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.
With their victory at the Western Conference, the girls and boys from Topfield College have now qualified
to play at the national finals of the competition in Lagos in July.
Photo captions
Picture 1: Category Manager for Beverages, Nestlé Nigeria, Mr. Olutayo Olatunji addressing participants of the Western Conference of the 23rd MILO Secondary Schools Basketball Championship held in Ibadan recently.
Picture 2: Category Manager for Beverages, Nestlé Nigeria, Mr. Olutayo Olatunji (middle) presenting a certificate to the boys from Topfield College, Ajegunle, Lagos State winners of the boys’ category of the Western Conference of the 23rd MILO Secondary Schools Basketball Championship held in Ibadan recently.
