It is a dream come true for coach Emmanuel Biodun Tanko, head coach of Father O’Connell Science College, Minna, Niger State, as his team defeated their
counterparts from Government Secondary School, Karu, FCT in the final of the boys’ category in the just concluded Central Conference of the MILO Basketball
Championship.

According to Coach Tanko, his team lost to the same opponents last year in the same championship. On the team’s preparation on the road to victory this year, Coach Tanko said, “We had a 70-day period of training. During Ramadan, we were there. It is a testimony that hard work pays. Also, without God we would not have been able to achieve this feat.”

Captain of the winning team from Father O’Connell Science College, Minna, Niger
State, Mahmood Mustapha Mohammed, thanked Nestlé MILO for supporting and
sponsoring them.

The young man who says his dream is to play with globally recognized stars in the National Basketball Association (NBA) one day, also said, “I want to give a big shout out to our parents and coaches for always being there for us and believing in us, trusting that we will come back with the trophy.”

On the field of play, the teams depend on skills, discipline, resilience, persistence, stamina, cooperation, and self-belief. These values enable them to overcome challenges and achieve their goals in life.

Nestlé continues to lead grassroot sports development in Nigeria through its MILO
Basketball Championship, contributing to the growth of many players in the Nigerian national teams, and notable clubs across the world today.

States who competed in the Central Conference of the MILO Basketball
Championship at the Indoor Sports Hall, Package ‘B’ of the MKO Abiola Stadium in
Abuja from the 12th to 19th of May, 2023 are Kebbi, Kogi, Nasarawa, and host FCT.

Others are Kaduna, Niger, Plateau, Benue and Sokoto states.

The MILO Basketball Championship has grown tremendously from about 500 schools at its commencement in 1999. It now reaches over 150,000 individual players from over 10,000 schools across Nigeria every year.