Caption:

Right: Vice President, Nigeria Chess Federation, Prince Adeyinka Adewole; Managing Director/Regional Executive, Ecobank Nigeria, Bolaji Lawal with one of the winning schools

 

 

University of Lagos (UNILAG), DaySpring School and Marvelvine Montessori School, all in Lagos, have emerged winners in the tertiary, secondary and primary schools’ categories of the 2024 Ecobank National Schools’ Teams Chess Competition at the Pan African Centre, in Lagos, over the weekend.

 

 

Described as the largest gathering of chess players in Africa, the Chess competition attracted over 1200 players from over 250 schools across 18 states in Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

 

 

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Vice President, Nigeria Chess Federation (NCF), Prince Adeyinka Adewole, expressed excitement that the Championship which was introduced last year, when the International Chess Federation (ICF) started the World Schools Team Chess Championship, had grown go enjoy wide acceptance among schools.

 

 

He noted that the 2024 edition attracted over 1200 participants, describing NCF’s partnership with Ecobank as a shining example of the public-private partnership needed for the advancement of sports in Nigeria.

 

 

“118 primary schools, 86 secondary schools, and 42 tertiary institutions participated and jostled for prizes of over N15 million at the three-day tournament which took place between Friday 24th and Sunday 26th at the Ecobank Pan African Centre (EPAC) in Victoria Lagos.

 

At the end of the highly competitive tournament, University of Lagos came tops in the tertiary school category and was followed by University of Benin and Chess in Slums Africa (CISA), while DaySpring School, Platforms School, Ireti Senior Grammar School came first, second and third respectively in the secondary school category. For the Primary school category, Marvelvine Montessori School came first, while Scholars Academy, Ibadan, was second best, followed by Okikioluwa Junior in the third position”. He stated.

 

 

“When we introduced this Championship last year, only 15 schools participated but today we have over 250 schools. This is a remarkable accomplishment for us in the Nigeria Chess Federation, and we wouldn’t have been able to achieve this without the unwavering support of Ecobank. We’re deeply grateful for Ecobank’s generous support and unwavering commitment to empowering young minds and fostering intellectual growth. Your sponsorship has made this event possible, and your dedication to the development of chess among Nigerian youth is truly commendable,” he stated.

 

 

Managing Director/Regional Executive, Ecobank Nigeria, Bolaji Lawal, said the decision of the bank to sponsor the Chess competition was to further showcase its commitment to supporting intellectual and sports development in Nigeria.

 

 

“The winners here today are ‘rising stars. And I must say this is in line with our objective of supporting children and youths as the next-generation of change-makers. This sponsorship aligns with our overall long-term vision of building a world class Pan African bank that contributes to the economic and financial integration of the continent. We are also using the opportunity of this competition to introduce and empower them with convenient, affordable, and accessible digital financial services they can access anytime and anywhere they are,” he added.

 

 

The Ecobank Nigeria’s boss disclosed that arrangements had been put in place to make the  partnership an annual event, so as to make it exciting and fulfilling for the children and undergraduate students.

 

 

In his comment the Minister of Sports, Senator John Owan Enoh, represented by the Director, Federal Ministry of Sports Liaison Office in Lagos, Ms Ikana Mbora, commended the students for their resilience and determination to win as “this represents the Nigerian can do spirit”.