By Asuquo Cletus Calabar
Telecommunications company, MTN Nigeria, has donated sports equipment to two secondary schools in Cross River State to promote grassroots sports development and nurture young talents.
The donation was made to Government Secondary School, Henshaw Town, and Government Technical College, Calabar, under the grant implementation of the fourth season of the MTN Champs competition.
Speaking during the handover, on Wednesday MTN’s Senior Manager, Network Operations for the South-East and South-South, Dr Theophilus Nnabugwu, said the intervention was a reward for the schools’ outstanding performances in the competition, which featured several schools.
Nnabugwu said the company was committed to identifying and developing sporting talents from an early age, expressing confidence that the beneficiaries could produce world-class athletes in the future.
“At MTN, we believe in giving back to the society. We want these kids to excel, especially in sports. We believe in supporting the youth that will take over sports tomorrow,” he said.
He added, “We groom them from this stage, right from school age, to become world champions.”
The MTN official said the company was investing in the lives of young people to encourage them to take sports seriously and make proper use of the equipment provided.
He noted that MTN Champs was an annual programme, adding that the company would continue to offer guidance and support to participating schools.
According to him, the schools could receive better equipment in subsequent editions if they improved their performances, while the MTN Foundation would continue to explore opportunities to expand its community development interventions.
Items donated included table tennis boards and bats, footballs, Scrabble sets, chess boards and other sporting kits.
Reacting to the donation, the Games Master and Vice Principal in charge of Sports at Government Secondary School, Henshaw Town, Edem Bassey, expressed appreciation to MTN, saying the equipment would improve sporting activities in the school.
“I want to say that I am very, very happy. I am very elated to be able to receive this item. It will really go a long way to really help us in the sport activities in the school,” Bassey said.
He assured the telecommunications company that the equipment would be put to proper use.
“We want to tell them that this item will be judiciously used for the purpose in which they are meant for,” he added.
Bassey also urged MTN to sustain the intervention, describing the donation as a welcome development for the school.
Also speaking, a teacher at Government Technical College, Calabar, who preferred anonymity, expressed appreciation for the donation, saying the sports equipment would support sporting activities and help students develop their talents.
The teacher urged MTN to sustain the initiative and continue supporting schools in identifying and nurturing young athletes.
