The Management of Zenith Bank Plc has charged the Team Nigeria Athletes preparing for the forthcoming Senior African Athletics Championship to go all out and make Nigeria proud at the event which starts on Monday in Asaba, Delta State. Group Managing Director of the bank, Peter Amangbo, said that it was important that Team Nigeria athletes put up a great performance at the continental event. He stressed that the bank would continue to always support sports as part of its social responsibility to Nigerian youths and the country in general. Amangbo said: “We have always been very supportive to sports and so we decided to also do so with this athletics championship to enable Delta State to be a good host and also to give the country’s athletes an enabling environment to excel.
“This is an opportunity for the athletes to show their potential against the rest of Africa. We urge them to work hard and go all out for gold medal so that they make the country proud.” It would be recalled Zenith Bank Plc led the donors at the fund raising event recently with the sum of N300m while Bube Dan gave N20m, Levant Construction N20m, Gomene N11m, Delta State House of Assembly N7m, Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development -N5m, among others. Some corporate organisations and individuals made their donations anonymously.
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa,his wife, Dame Okowa, Deputy Governor Kingsley Otuaro, Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, LOC Chairman Solomon Ogba, his deputy Tony Okowa, Minister of Sports,Solomon Dalung, President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Ibrahim Gusau, among numerous others attended the fundraising. Top athletes like Blessing Okagbare, Ese Brume, Divine Oduduru, Tobi Amusan, Queen Obisesan, Seye Ogunlewe, Kelechi Nwanaga and Mike Edwards are some of the top athletes that will represent Team Nigeria.
South Africa’s Caster Semanya along with compatriot, Akani Smbine, will also be in Asaba while Cote d’ Ivoire’s cuo of Marie Josee Ta Lou and Murielle Ahoure are battle ready for the competition. World and Olympic Champion in javelin, Julius Yego, is also expected to be at the African Championship.
