Team Offikwu Upsets Tombim, Wins NCC Tennis Cup N7m Star Prize

Team Offikwu has won the NCC Tennis Cup 2016 and taking home star prize of Seven Million Naira N7million), after upsetting the defending champions (Tombim who took home- N5million) in an exciting tennis match on Sunday at Lagos Lawn Tennis Club (LLTC), Onikan.

It was all excitement and a great love for the Lawn Tennis Game as Team Civil Defence won the Third prize of N3million while Team FCT came Fourth with N2million prize.

Speaking at the grand finale of the tournament which had Chief Alex Ekwueme, former vice president of Nigeria in attendance, Barrister Solomon Dalung, Minister of Youth and Sports, commended NCC for setting the tune in line with the policy direction of the Federal Government by inviting the private sectors’ interests to sports development.

“This national league, Dalung said, “Was organized in all the six geo-political zones of this country including Abuja, without the Federal Government giving a dime as intervention. Yet, it has been a very huge success; evidence that if Federations organize themselves very well there are so much for them to benefit from sponsors.

“I want to congratulate the young people that have won in various categories including sums of cash prizes. This is an indication that in hard work there is a gain. I want to encourage the young people to use this period of their youthful lives to participate in sports because there are employments, wealth and ‘weapon’ in sports that you can use to combat poverty”.

He reiterated the FG’s resolve to “continue to invest in sports and we shall in future develop more interest in the governance and administration of the sports Federation to ensure that transparency, accountability and management of resources remains the order of the day”.

On his part, Professor Umar Danbatta, executive vice chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) descried the feat as a total accomplishment on the part of NCC following the excitement and personalities that graced the grand finale.

Prof. Danbatta who was represented by Mr. Reuben Muoka, head of Public Relations at the Commission said, “The Minister of Sports in particular has followed up with us from the fixtures, to starting and now in the finals. He attended and sat through every match. That was a great support to what NCC is doing. NCC is encouraged. We are happy the way it turned as the best team emerged the winner. This team is new in the tournament and they actually invited players even from abroad. The NCC tennis league has come to a stage when teams buy players, and giving home based players succour. The league has brought about stiff competition and the best Nigerian players are participating too.

NCC has at the maiden edition in 2015 spelt out the aims of the League as a way to take top flight tennis to different cities and parts of the country which has never hosted such tennis events; to develop squads that will attract sponsorship and get high level coaches attached to teams.

The tournament is also regarded as an avenue created by the NCC to provide some substantial prize monies that will enable top national players invest in their professional tennis careers and attain a world ranking that will enable them create wealth for themselves, their families and the nation.

“We also value this tournament as avenue to introduce many more weeks of tennis competition into the Nigerian tennis calendar that will allow national players compete regularly and achieve some rapid improvement in skill levels,” he added.

Meanwhile, the exciting final match of the tournament between Sylvester Emmanuel representing Offikwu, the highest ranked Nigerian on the ATP circuit, and Moses Michael, national champion and representing team Tombim closed at 6-2; 6-1 to the cheering of Barrister Rotimi Edu, chairman, LLTC; Nduka Oduzor, among other dignitaries.

Speaking to Nigeria CommunicationsWeek after clinching the win, Sylvester Emmanuel extolled NCC for organizing the tournament which he said add glamour to the tennis calendar in Nigeria.

Emmanuel said, “This season has been a wonderful one for me and the team and we hope 2017 will be there. In the coming year, I will be playing more of the international competitions; I will be moving to Barcelona for the training and tournament.

He said in the past local players complained of lack of competitions, but the NCC tournament and others have kept them busy.

The Offikwu team captain said, “It means a lot to us as players, because we had just two tournaments- the CBN and the Dalung Cup. But with this king of league as organized by NCC, you will know there is tournament to play each week; traveling from one State to another.

“The Organised really did very well. I want to give them all the credit and we hope they continue.