The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has received plaudits for its support for sports development; particularly, for its commitment to the popular NCC-sponsored tennis championship for youth. The commission’s relentless sponsorship of the event dominated discussions at the launch of a book, Sport in Nigeria: Going Round in Circles, by tennis aficionado and talent-hunter Godwin Kienka, at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Racecourse, Onikan, Lagos, over the weekend.
The cross-section of the sports administrators and admirers of tennis urged the commission not to relent in supporting sports in Nigeria for the benefit of empowering the young people, as it has done in the sponsorship of tennis across the six geopolitical zones.
Kienka acknowledged that the sponsorship offered by the commission since 2015 has set the tone for the development of Nigerian youths for future careers in lawn tennis. “I want to appreciate the NCC for having set a sterling example in recent years for other private and public sector stakeholders and institutions to emulate. We appreciate the executive vice-chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta for sustaining the sponsorship when he assumed office in 2015 and for his outstanding contribution to youth and sports development in Nigeria in general.”
Between 2015 and 2016, the NCC engaged in sponsorship of lawn tennis tournaments that rekindled interest in and re-defined tennis competition in Nigeria because of the renewal it brought to tennis development in Nigeria.
Part of NCC’s objective for embarking on the tourney was to help nurture and explore the talents of the Nigerian youth through the robust competition to help them perfect their skills. It was also to promote peace and friendship among the players and, by extension, enthrone pan-Nigeria solidarity of sports enthusiasts.
A statement signed by the NCC’s director, public affairs, Reuben Muoka, said the tournament, which featured the hosting of several marches in different parts of the country, including Lagos, Port Harcourt, Asaba, Onitsha, Abeokuta, Kaduna, Abuja and Enugu, also had the objective of fruitfully engaging the players, officials and the youth population in some value-driven activities associated with the sports generally.
