For eight days a total of 18 Secondary Schools teams (9 boys and 9 girls) qualified from 9 states that make up the confluence conference gathered in Lokoja to flag off the first out of the four conferences as packaged by Nestle Milo the event’s sole sponsor.
Nestle’s target is the development of Nigerian youths using the game of basketball to showcase their talents. The turn out by the states and their teams was encouraging. A total of 30 matches were played and this situation made it possible for more referees to be engaged at the championship. It is said that the only thing permanent is change.
There were change of guards in some matches making way for newcomers to experience victory. The absence of some crazy scores especially the quarter final stages was a clear indication that the sponsor Nestle Milo and other stakeholders, the Nigerian School Sports Federation and the National Collegiate Sports Foundation have already made the game of basketball a household name in Nigeria. The perpetual dominance of the game in the past by some states has also become things of the past.
Host, Kogi State dethroned Adamawa in the final to emerge as confluence conference champions. This is a clear evidence that the game of basketball has already developed a tap root at the grassroots. The students mastering of the rules and skills of the game explains they have firm grip of basketball, kudos to the sponsor Nestle Milo.
The President FIBA Africa Zone 3 Col. Sam Ahmedu who is also the coordinator of the Nestle Milo Secondary School Championship said the standard at the confluence conference was very high.
“The keen competition by the participating teams tells the story of the steady growth of game in the country and this feat should be credited to Nestle”. The quarter final and semi final matches were close shaves. In the near future champions from the confluence can spring up from Taraba, Borno, Kano or Zamfara. Kogi State Commissioner for Sports and Youth, Hon. Attah Sule Itani said the Nestle Milo Championship which keeps the youth busy all the year round is a good thing to happen in sports development. “You can see for the past six days, the focus of these players has been on the game of basketball. The players and their coaches have only been discussing tactics and match strategies”.
In terms of organization, all the departments at the confluence in Lokoja scored highly to raise the standard. Anybody who watched the 2014 final in Lagos would observe that the confluence final in Lokoja toed the same line.
There were no dull moments at intervals. Apart from the Milo clap that greeted every score, the Space Unlimited choreography group from Lagos added color on the final day at the confluence conference. With the confluence conference over the train moves to Benin City, Edo State where the other qualifiers for the Atlantic Conference converged to vie for honours.
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