Ado Salisu
Sports has been described as a key factor in uniting people from different ethnic groups and projecting the image of Nigeria.
The Branch Manager of Nestlé Milo in charge of the Northwest, Mr. Dayo Adekoya, stated this during the final of the Under-13 Milo Championship held at the Ahmad Musa Sports Arena in Kano.
He explained that Nestlé Milo has been contributing to societal development through sponsorship and organisation of sporting events in primary and secondary schools across the country.
According to him, the initiative is aimed at discovering young talents, while keeping children and youths away from social vices.
Mr. Adekoya said the Under-13 soccer championship was organised in collaboration with former Super Eagles captain, Ahmad Musa, as part of efforts to revive school sports and provide pupils with opportunities to showcase their talents.
He pledged that Nestlé Milo would continue to organise the championship annually to achieve its objectives.
The Branch Manager commended the people of Kano and others who contributed to the success of the tournament, assuring that the company would continue to support the development of sports in Nigeria.
In the final, Khamis Football Academy emerged winner of the maiden edition after defeating B.S. Academy 8–4 in an entertaining encounter.
The winners received one million naira, while the runners-up got five hundred thousand naira and the third-place team received two hundred thousand naira.
It would be recalled that former Super Eagles captain, Ahmad Musa, also supported the tournament with personal donations of one million naira for the winner, five hundred thousand naira for the runner-up and three hundred thousand naira for the third-place team.
Speaking shortly after the match, the proprietor of Khamis Football Academy, Khamis Imam, expressed satisfaction with the performance of his players.
He assured that the club management would continue to support the development of young players with a view to producing skilled talents for future state, national and international competitions.
Mr. Imam called on private organisations and wealthy individuals to complement government efforts in developing grassroots sports.
Highlights of the event included the presentation of prizes to the Best Defender, Most Valuable Player and Highest Goal Scorer, among others.