By Ado Salisu
Government Secondary School, Numan, and Government Girls Secondary School, Yola, both from Adamawa State, have emerged champions of the Savannah Conference in the Nestlé Milo Secondary School Basketball Championship, winning in the boys’ and girls’ categories respectively.
The finals, held at the Indoor Sports Hall of the Sani Abacha Sports Complex, Kofar Mata in Kano, attracted a large crowd of enthusiastic spectators who came to cheer their favorite teams.
The week-long tournament was organized by the Nigerian School Sports Federation (NSSF) with support from Nestlé Milo, as part of efforts to promote grassroots basketball development in secondary schools across the country.
In the highly anticipated final matches, the Adamawa teams defeated the much-favored Ahmadiyya College boys and girls in exciting, energy-sapping contests. The Government Secondary School, Numan boys triumphed with a 71-45 victory, while the Government Girls Secondary School, Yola girls clinched a dominant 75-33 win.
With this achievement, both Adamawa teams will represent the Savannah Conference at the national finals scheduled to take place later this year in Lagos.
During the closing ceremony, prizes, certificates, trophies, cash awards, and individual honors were presented to outstanding players and teams. Dignitaries present at the event included the Nestlé Milo Category Development Manager, Funmilola Abiola Oyewole; Acting Chairman of the Kano State Sports Commission, Ibrahim Umar Fagge (FIFA); FIBA Zone 3 President, Colonel Samuel Amedu (Rtd.); and NSSF Secretary General, Oba Funso Usman, among others.
Speaking at the ceremony, Funmilola Abiola Oyewole, represented by Mr. Charles Ikpe, reaffirmed Nestlé Milo’s commitment to supporting government initiatives in youth development, particularly by sustaining the basketball championship across secondary schools to inspire academic and athletic excellence among students.
She noted that the championship has produced several national and international basketball talents over the years, underscoring the importance of investing in school sports.
The next phase of the championship will see the Central Conference games held in Abuja from May 10 to 17, the Atlantic Conference from May 20 to 27, and the Western Conference from May 28 to June 4 in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The grand finale will take place at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos later this year.
