Feet
'n' Tricks International Limited, organizer of the just concluded
Nigeria National Freestyle
Championship, in conjunction with its major sponsor, GAC Motors,
Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS) and VFD Group, have fulfilled
their pledge as a brand new saloon car was handed to the 1st Prize Winner in the male category of the competition,
McCarthy Obanor
The
saloon car, travel ticket and other prizes, won during the very
successful competition
held last weekend at the Ikeja City Mall, were handed over to winners
at an impressive ceremony held at the GAC Motor Office in Victoria
Island Lagos and witnessed by other major sponsors of the event.
The
winners apart from Mr. McCarthy Obanor, who will represent Nigeria at
the World Super
Ball Championships in Prague, Czech Republic, include Mayowa
Bababunmi, a medical doctor, who placed second, winning N750,000.
Others are 2nd runner up, Austine Abariode who went home with N500,000.00 and 3rd runner up, Ifeanyi Nwabeke,
who received N250,000.00 for his freestyle football skills.
In
the female category, Rasheedat Ajibade, the captain of Nigeria’s Under
17
Women National Team clinched the title, winning the sum of N1m.
Ajibade, a professional footballer, defeated Chidinma Okeke, her
teammate in the national team in the final. Okeke collected N750,000 for
her second place effort. Nduibisi Esther and Unamba Augustina
were 2nd and 3rd place winners, receiving N500,000 and N250,000 respectively.
Speaking
at the event, Chairman of Feet ‘n’ Tricks Limited, Valentine
Ozigbo, appreciated
the sponsors - GAC Motors, FIRS, Five Star Music, VFD Group, Wakanow,
Wine and Things, Scavi & Ray, Pinnacle Communications and media
groups including Hip TV, Cool FM Group, DBN and Channels for their
support.
He
noted that the organisers would not have achieved this much in its
first year without the
belief the sponsors had in his company. “It is going to be bigger and
better next year, we are going to be working with all that were part of
this year’s and we promise a bigger and better tournament next year,” he
concluded.
The
Chairwoman of Choice International and representative of GAC Motors in
Africa, Chief Diana
Chan, said GAC Motors collaborated with Feet ‘n’ Tricks to give better
future and sustainable leaving to talented young men and women in
Nigeria.
While
promising the commitment of her company to future editions of the
competition, she said,
“Our mission in Nigeria is to offer the next credible alternatives to
users of vehicles in Nigeria through our sincere commitment to offering
high quality products and services to our customers, and in doing this
to support the creative arts and sports and
talented young Nigerians in order to bring out the best in them.”
Alhaji
Kunle Oseni, National Coordinator for Tax Enlightenment, FIRS,
representing the Chairman of the
agency said "FIRS is identifying with Feet 'n' Tricks as part of our
corporate social responsibility given the very positive impacts
professionalizing freestyle football would have for our young ones on
the street, and then to enlighten our people more on
tax matters.
Speaking
on behalf of the winners, Mr. McCarthy Obanor, who will be sponsored to
the world championship, thanked
the organiser for giving freestyle footballers hope of bright future by
committing huge resources to organising the competition despite the
economic situations in the country. He promised to make Nigeria proud by
winning the global event.
“For
once , Free n Tricks have helped me in convincing my mother that there
is future in freestyle football. Courtesy of the organisers with the
support of the sponsors,
I am not only a owner of a brand new car, a million naira, but most
importantly, I will carrying my country’s flag in an international
competition, what I have long for in my seven years of freestyling,”
Obanor saidCynosure
of all eyes was on Mayowa Bababunmi, a medical doctor who placed
second. Asked how he developed his talents despite his tight medical
profession practice, he
said Freestyle has become a passion and relaxation tool for him. “with
my involvement, I believe I have encouraged other professionals to live
their passion,”, Mayowa said
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