17TH MILO BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: NESTLE MILO ARE PARTNERS IN PROGRESS- NSC & NSSF

For 17 years, the Nestle Milo Basketball Championship has remained the Nation’s flagship grassroot competition which gives the Nigerian Youth the opportunity to showcase their Basketball skills. This year’s edition took it to even greater heights. The standard of play was highly commendable with debutants from Kogi almost stealing the show but for the good finishing from the Kaduna boys. The National Sports Commission’s Director of Grassroots Sports, who took the ceremonial ‘Jump Ball’, was full of praises for the Sponsors Nestle Milo.

“With such competition like the Nestle Milo Secondary Schools Basketball, our National teams and clubs have been getting constant supply and resource for the tired players. I am very happy with the organisation of the championship- from the state preliminaries to the Conference playoffs and the National final”.

17th Milo Championship

Mallam Ibrahim Mohammed, president of the National School Sports Federation, commended Nestle Milo for hosting another hitch free championship. National School Sports Federation is one of the stakeholders, and technical partners to the tournament

“If other Corporate Organisations can do what Nestle Milo is doing in Basketball for other sports, the sky will be the nation’s limit. This is where the National Sports Commission should come in. Nestle has identified the talents, going further to groom and expose them in Top 50 Camp”.

For the Nestle officials present at this year’s final, it was all smiles in satisfaction for a job well executed. Femi Akintola, Nestle’s Category Manager (Beverages), said they are pleased with improved standard of play. “You notice that there is no dominance any longer, you have new champions, upsets at group stages which shows that Nestle’s gospel of Basketball is spreading”

Nestle presents the 17th Milo Basketball Championship

Akintola further said that the outstanding players will be invited for the top 50 camp by Nestle next month in Lagos. The camp will be conducted by top NBA coaches to be led by Masai Ujiri of The Toronto Raptors. A selection of players from the tournament will eventually represent Nigeria at an international tournament to be decided by the NSSF.

Nestlé MILO Continues to Show Unwavering Commitment to Basketball

Nestlé MILO’s unwavering commitment to sports development comes to light again as the grand finale of the 16th edition of the Nestlé MILO Secondary Schools Basketball holds from 1st to 6th of December at the indoor sports complex of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.

Annually, the competition provides the opportunity for Nestlé MILO to reach thousands of secondary school students with the platform both to play basketball at its best as well as to learn livelong values that help to shape the youngsters to become the adults of their dreams.

These values include teamwork, determination, discipline, honesty and respect.

This year, nearly 100,000 students from 7,530 schools participated in the championship from the state preliminaries to the regional conferences across Nigeria.

Mr Dharnesh Gordhon, Managing Director, Nestle Nig. PLC, Mrs. Doja Ekeruche, Category Business Manager and Mrs Olabisi Joseph, Secretary, Nigeria School Sports Federation, at the draws ceremony for the 16th edition of the Milo Secondary Schools Basketball Championships at Nestle PLC head office in Lagos.

The schools that will feature in the finale include

Dutse Model International School and Government Girls Secondary School, Gwawaran, both from Jigawa state,

St Augustine Seminary, Ezzamgbo of Ebonyi state;

Osadennis High School Asaba and West End Mixed Secondary School, Bayelsa State.

Others are St. Jude’s Girls Secondary School, Amarata, Jesus College, Oturkpo,

Government Girls Secondary School Gboko and CAC Grammar School, Akure.

Henson Demonstration Group of Schools Benin, Ilupeju Grammar School, Lagos and Yejide Girls Secondary School, Ibadan complete the list of finalists.

According to the organisers, the top 50 camp will take place immediately after the Nestlé MILO Secondary School Basketball finals, from 7 – 10 December. The camp will be facilitated by a team of NBA coaches and will be led by the NBA Coach of Toronto Raptors Patrick Engelbretch.

Dr. Samuel Adenekan, Corporate Affairs Manager Nestle Nig. PLC, Mr. Dharnesh Gordhon Managing Director and Mrs Doja Ekeruche, Category Business Manager presenting the trophy to Mrs. Olabisi Joseph, Secretary NSSF and Mr. Lanre Balogun, Vice President, NCSF, at the draws ceremony for the 16th edition of the Nestle Milo Secondary Schools Basketball Championship at the Nestle PLC head office Lagos

Multiple award winning Nigeria artist Iyanya will be performing at this year’s edition of the games.

Commenting on the event, the Category Business Manager, Doja Ekeruche reaffirmed Nestlé’s unwavering commitment to the development of basketball and raising the quality of the game.

The winner at this year championship is expected to fly the nation’s flag at the World Schools Basketball Championship in Linigoes, France from 17th to 25th April 2015.