Metro
Bayelsa Schools Shine As 2022 MILO Basketball Championship Ends
The 22nd Milo Basketball Championship ended in great excitement as the boys from Bishop Dimieari Grammar School, Obom Bayelsa State defeated Government Secondary School, Karu, FCT, 36 to 33 in a nail-biting encounter. The game was in a draw situation with each team holding 33 points and only 22 seconds left on the clock when the Bayelsa boys threw a three points from the center of the court that coincided with the final buzzer, sending the spectators into a moment of jubilation.
In a different but one-sided encounter, the girls from St. Jude’s Secondary Schools Amarata, Bayelsa State outclassed their counterparts from Akpur College, Gboko, Benue State by 38 to 14 to emerge winners in the girls’ category of the Championship.
Speaking at the basketball finals, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Nestlé Nigeria PLC, Mr. Wassim El-Husseini said, “The MILO Basketball Championship provides a platform to help the participants imbibe values that set the right foundation for their future. As they participate in sports, they learn grit – perseverance through hardship, courage to overcome fear, ability to work in a team, self-belief, respect, and leadership. We will therefore, continue to do our utmost to help shape a healthier and happier generation of Nigerians by encouraging participation in sporting activities through the MILO Basketball Championship.”
The Nestlé Chief Executive thanked the Nigerian Schools Sports Federation (NSSF), the National Collegiate Sports Foundation (NCSF), the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), the Ministries of Sports, Youth Development and Education in the various states, for their support in ensuring the success of the Championship over the last 22 editions.
Also speaking at the National Finals, The Minister of Youth and Sports Development Mr. Sunday Dare who was represented by Professor Olawale Moronkola – Director General of the National Institute for Sports said, “I wish to commend the commitment, passion and financial support of Nestlé to the growth of basketball in the country. It is heartwarming to note that this platform has become a gathering for discovering, nurturing and development of the so many budding talents in our dear country.”
The Honourable Minister, through his representative also congratulated all the participants and promised the federal government’s support to companies that invest in support sport development.
The President of the Nigeria Schools’ Sports Federation (NSSF), Olabisi Joseph, who spoke on this year’s Championship said, “Nestle Nigeria PLC has made significant contribution to the growth of sports in Nigeria and the creation of a bright future for young people by supporting and promoting basketball in schools.
The championship has served as a platform for showcasing and harnessing the great potential of young Nigerian students and integrating them into the mainstream of basketball.”
The MILO Basketball Championship which started with less than 500 schools in 1999, now brings together over 10,000 schools every year, with a record registration of 10, 354 schools in the 22nd edition.
The Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Shehu Mohammed, has condole with families of the victims of the fuel tanker fire which occurred at the Dikko junction in Niger state on Saturday, charging tanker operators to always adhere strictly to safety standards and observe due protocols in transloading fuel products.
In his reaction to the fuel tanker incident, according to a statement signed by the Public Education Officer, Assistant Corps Marshal Olusegun Ogungbemide, and made available to the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP), the Corps Marshal described the human losses to the inferno as disheartening and disastrous, warning that such incidents must never be allowed to happen again.
The Corps Marshal expressed worry that despite sustained enlightenment programs carried out by the Corps with the tanker drivers on the need to be safety conscious while transporting petroleum products due to their inflammable nature and the general public to stay away from scenes of tanker crashes, many people could still fall victims of the Saturday’s unfortunate tanker incident. While recalling that 73 burnt bodies have so far been recovered by the rescue teams for final burial as arranged by the Niger State Government, the Corps Marshal revealed that the FRSC teams have been directed to sustain the joint operations with other relevant stakeholders to ensure effective management of traffic at the scenes in order to prevent further incidents.
In the same vein, the accident investigation unit of the Corps will work in collaboration with other agencies to unravel the causes and proffer solutions that could address future occurrence. “Meanwhile, those that sustained various degrees of injury have been taken to different hospitals including Suleja General Hospital for further medical attention as normalcy has returned to the area with free movement of traffic,” the Corps Marshal stated.
Shehu Mohammed stressed the importance of inter-agency collaboration and robust engagement with members of the public including critical stakeholders to ensure that the nation does not witness this level of human losses again, especially when the incident could have been prevented by strict adherence to due diligence. “The nation was yet to recover from similar incident that occured in Jiagawa last year, and having to witness another incident of this magnitude at the beginning of the new year is painful and regrettable,” he further stated.
The Corps Marshal assures Nigerians that the FRSC will continue to work with the relevant stakeholders and members of the public to find lasting solutions to all road-based emergencies and called for involvement of all Nigerians in the joint efforts to ensure safety and security of lives and property of road travelers.
While praying God for repose of the souls of all those that lost their lives to the inferno, the Corps Marshal appeals for support to the families of the survivors in the various hospitals to ensure their quick recovery. He further commiserate with the people of Niger state and commended the prompt intervention of the Executive Governor of Niger State who was physically present at the scene.
In furtherance of its ongoing scheme to excite and reward its subscribers across the country, Globacom, on Friday, in Abuja, held another draw to select winners in its Festival of Joy consumer promotion.
The draw, held at the Gloworld, Aminu Kano Crescent, Wuse, had the presence of several observers including Glo subscribers, members of the media and Martin Oteh who led officials of the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC) to witness the process.
The company had before now presented prizes to winners in several cities since the promo started in October 2024, enabling hundreds of Nigerians who won various prizes to end the year 2024 on a joyful note.
As is the tradition since the start of the promo, the draw precedes the prize presentation exercise, which is to be done on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, at the same Glo office at Wuse, Abuja. The lucky subscribers include the winner of a brand new Toyota Prado and winners of tricycle, sewing machines, generators and grinding machines.
Globacom encouraged new and existing subscribers to dial *611# to opt into the promo and to also keep recharging (voice and data) during the promo period, in order to be eligible to win the prizes on offer. New subscribers can participate immediately by purchasing a new SIM, registering it and dialing *611#.
“New and existing customers are to recharge up to N100, 000 cumulatively during the promo period to qualify for the draw for the Prado Jeep, N50, 000 cumulative recharge for Kia Picanto, N10, 000 in a month for tricycle and N5, 000 total recharge in a month to win a generator. For the sewing machine, a total recharge of N2, 500 in a month is required, while for the grinding machine, a recharge of N1,000 in a week will be eligible for the draw”, the company noted.
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has revoked lands allocated to Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, his Bayelsa counterpart Douye Diri, and Speaker of the House of Representatives Abbas Tajudeen.
The minister’s media aide, Lere Olayinka, said the withdrawal of the R-of-O for 568 allottees followed the expiration of a two-week grace period to pay their C-of-O bills.
He noted that of the 3,273 allottees initially given two weeks in October 2024 to pay their bills, 568 remained in default after an additional grace period expired on January 15.
Also affected are the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President (Office of the Vice President), Ibrahim Hadejia; former governor of Cross River State, Ben Ayade, Senate Leader; Opeyemi Bamidele, Senate Minority Leader; Abba Moro, Minister of State for Labour and Employment; Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, Minister of State for Industry Trade and Investment; John Eno, Chairperson/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM); Abike Dabiri-Erewa; late Sports Minister Bala Kaoje; and Regina Akume, wife of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume.
The fresh revocation comes three weeks after the initial withdrawal of 762 plots of land from their allottees.
