Nestle Nigeria Plc, the sponsor of the MILO Secondary School basketball championship, has reiterated its commitment to the promotion and support of grassroots sports as the 20th edition of the championship comes to a conclusion. The Grand Finale, which held recently at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium in Lagos, wrapped up the series of basketball activities, which commenced earlier in the year with state preliminaries, regional conference playoffs, and the National finals.
Speaking at the event, Managing Director of Nestle Nigeria Plc., said Nestle, together with its project partners, has made the Milo Basketball Championship journey a huge success in the last 20 years. “Nestle has been at the forefront of helping to improve livelihoods of individuals and families in the communities where it operates while ensuring the long-term success of our business, a principle we call creating shared value,” he said.
Speaking further, Mr. Alarcon said: “Firm in Nestlé’s belief that sports provide opportunities for developing qualities including leadership skills, ability to work in a team, perseverance, courage, self-belief, and respect, Nestle has been at the forefront of sports development in Nigeria for over two decades.”
This year’s edition saw the male category defending champions, Niger State, emerging winner while the female category defending champion, Bayelsa State, also emerged winner. The Niger State representative in the male category, Father O’Connell Science College, Minna, defeated Gen. Muritala Muhammed College, Adamawa State by 60-59; while the Bayelsa State representative in the female category, St. Jude’s Girls Secondary School, Amarata, defeated Yejide Girls Grammar School, Ibadan, Oyo State, by 47-31.
Since its inception in Nigeria, Nestle has been involved in sports development for close to 30 decades, 20 of which have been dedicated to the Secondary School Basketball Championship. Nestle organizes the MILO Basketball Championship in conjunction with other partners such as Nigeria School Sports Federation (NSSF) and the National Collegiate Sports Foundation (NCSF) under the supervision of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF).
