As part of its effort to fulfill its corporate social responsibility, the NICON Insurance Plc. in conjunction with Alfa Plus has organised a three-day basketball tournament, an initiative toward empower and help the youths to have a brighter future.
Also, it is aimed at teaching personal excellence in basketball and life. Not only that, the event is also channeledl to stimulate youths’ interest in actively taking up sports, particularly basketball for recreation and profession instead of crime.
However, no fewer than 200 children from 24 schools across the FCT converged at the Basketball Indoor Court National Stadium Package B Abuja, to compete in the tournament.
On the importance of the event, the Senior Manager Corporate Affairs NICON Insurance PLC, Mr. Ade Adesokan explained that it is part of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of the NICON Insurance to reduce social vices such hooliganism, cultism amongst others to in the country.
He said: “We want our youth in Nigeria to be fully involved one activity or the other that will impact their life positively.
“Because an adage says ‘an idle hand is the devil’s workshop’ so, when they are engaged they will be very happy to leave up to expectation, this will assist them by making their brain well alert.
“This is not the first time we are doing something like this. It has become part of our Corporate Social Responsibility in NICON insurance. We have done it in the past; we have sponsored Nigeria Universities Games, a programme that produced people like Seyi Olofinjana.”
“Our former Super Eagles Coach Stephen Keshi was discovered by the defunct insurance company. We have sponsored basketball team to Olympic, we have sponsored squash in Ikoyi Club Lagos amongst others. These are part of things we do to encourage youth to be active in a positive manner.”
Adesokan also disclosed that the company had embarked on what he called Student Welfare Insurance Scheme SWIS, an initiative that will allow parents paying premium or token of five thousand naira or three thousand naira.
He stated that with that token if a parent dies or suffers any form of disability then, the management of NICON will take over the responsibility of payment of the school fees till graduation.
He appealed to parents to encourage their children to be involved in this kind of activities that will discourage them from cultism but rather help them to discover their talents at tender age.
“Government alone cannot solve this entire problem that is why corporate organisations have to reach out with youth in the country to assist in the area of sponsorship.
Representative of Alfa Plus, Tony Ujadugele also said the significance of this tournament is to groom the youth to understand the game of basketball “and we believe that we have to start from private secondary school level.
“We are doing this in conjunction with NICON Insurance Plc. and our goal is to take Nigerian kids (10 boys and 10 girls) to the US for them to have more knowledge of this game. We have 24 teams from all over Abuja playing against each other.
“I want to use this medium to call on individual company to invest on youth, to have a better society.”
Meanwhile at the end of three days tournament in the girls’ category Pace Setter School beat Royal Family School while Louisville school emerged winner in ladies’ category after beating Jesuit School 22-12.
However, in the boys’ category Glisten Int. Academy Schools thrashed Kingsville 24-12 to emerge the winner as Loyola School edged out Rabato School 23 -13 to emerge second runner-up.