Sport
Nestlé MILO Basketball Championship 2023: FCT, Niger Shine in Central Conference
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.”
The boys from Father O’Connell Science College, Minna, Niger State fought hard in a keenly contested encounter to defeat the boys from Government Secondary School,
Karu, FCT with 53 points to 49. They were therefore crowned champions in the boys’ category at the Central Conference of the 23rd MILO Secondary Schools Basketball
Championship held in Abuja from the 12th to the 19th of May 2023.
In the final game of the girls’ category of the championship, Government Secondary
School, Karu, FCT defeated their counterparts from Queen Amina College, Kakuri, Kaduna State by 35 points to 24 points. Both Father O’Connell Science College, Minna, Niger State and Government Secondary School, Karu, FCT will represent the Central Conference at the national finals of the 23rd MILO Basketball Championship in Lagos in July.
Other teams who will be in Lagos for the national finals are winners from the already concluded Savannah Conference which held in Kano from the 3rd to the 10th of May and winners from the two upcoming conferences – Atlantic Conference in Asaba from 20th to 27th of May and Western Conference in Ibadan from May 30th to June 6th, 2023.
Category Manager for Beverages, Nestlé Nigeria, Mr. Olutayo Olatunji, reiterated Nestle’s commitment to developing talents, promoting healthier lifestyles, and instilling values for success in life through sports. “MILO, firmly believes that through participation in sports, children learn enduring values to help them achieve success
in life,” he said.
“We are therefore, pleased to have this opportunity to provide a platform where young talents find expression through MILO Secondary School Basketball Championship. On the field of play, the teams depend on the discipline, perseverance, courage, self-belief, and respect that they imbibe during practice and
through their interactions with each other. These life skills are not only for basketball; they equip the players to navigate their careers and to be productive in society. In a
nutshell, ‘the GRIT’ you learn in sport, you keep for life.”
Nestlé Nigeria’s MILO Secondary School Basketball Championship has been promoting the value of grit for over 23 years, helping school children learn essential life skills such as 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.
The 2025 edition of the Unity Cup kicks off today in London. The competition returns after 21 years, ready to deliver a week of football, culture, and community. Running from May 27 to 31 at the Gtech Community Stadium in Brentford, the tournament features four national teams: Nigeria, Ghana, Jamaica, and Trinidad & Tobago, each competing in a straight knockout format. It’s football with flair, backed by a deeper mission: celebrating the enduring ties between Africa and the Caribbean.Today’s opener sees Trinidad & Tobago face Jamaica at 7:45 pm, while tomorrow brings a blockbuster clash between long-time West African rivals Nigeria and Ghana at 7 pm. Winners advance to the final on May 31, with a third-place playoff earlier that day.But Unity Cup 2025 is more than a sporting contest. It doubles as a diaspora culture festival, with music, food, and performances that reflect the richness of African and Caribbean heritage, especially among UK-based communities.Launched in 2002 to promote unity through sport, the tournament returns at a time when questions of identity, solidarity, and representation feel more urgent than ever. Its comeback is both timely and symbolic.For participating teams, the stakes go beyond pride. Nigeria, for example, sees the Unity Cup as a valuable warm-up ahead of their FIFA World Cup qualifiers, giving the coaching crew a chance to test combinations and sharpen the team’s rhythm.With top-level football, carnival-like atmosphere, and GOtv bringing it straight to your screen, Unity Cup 2025 is shaping up to be an unforgettable celebration of connection, on and off the pitch. Stay tuned to GOtv for match details and coverage updates.
on Wednesday night in the Europa League final, with both clubs seeking to rescue poor domestic campaigns and qualify for next season’s Champions League. The game is live at 8 PM.
For Manchester United, it has been a season of contrasts. While currently 16th in the league was nothing short of disastrous, their European form has told a different story. Under new manager Ruben Amorim, United have stormed through the knockout rounds, seeing off Real Sociedad, Lyon, and Athletic Bilbao with a combined score of 19-9. The semi-final demolition of Bilbao, 7–1 over two legs, was particularly emphatic as seen on GOtv.
Tottenham’s domestic struggles were not far off. With a club record 21 league defeats, Ange Postecoglou’s side are 17th behind United on the table. Like United, their European form has offered a welcome distraction. Spurs edged out AZ Alkmaar and Eintracht Frankfurt before comfortably dispatching FK Bodø/Glimt in the last four.
For Spurs, this final represents more than a shot at silverware; it is a chance to end a 17-year wait for a major trophy. For United, it is about revival and a return to Europe’s top competition. The Europa League final may yet deliver a fitting finale in a season of chaos. Catch the game live at 8 pm on SS Football (GOtv channel 61).
The Nigeria Football Federation appointed Mali coach Éric Chelle as the new head coach of Nigeria’s senior men’s national football team, becoming the third man to be in charge of the Super Eagles since the resignation of Jose Peseiro in March 2024.Chelle’s appointment was confirmed by the NFF on Tuesday, hours after president Ibrahim Gusau in another video had said the appointment would be soon.“The Executive Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation has endorsed the recommendation of its Technical and Development Sub-Committee for the appointment of Mr. Éric Sékou Chelle as Head Coach of Nigeria’s senior men national football team, Super Eagles,” NFF said in a statement.“At its meeting held in Abuja on Thursday, January 2, 2025, the NFF Technical and Development Sub-Committee had recommended the appointment of the former coach of the senior men national team of Mali as the new head coach of the Super Eagles. This recommendation was on Tuesday, 7th January endorsed by the NFF Executive Committee.”
According to the NFF president, Gusau, Chelle’s work will begin immediately with the home-based Super Eagles at the 2024 African Nations Championship in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda where Nigeria will be competing with 17 other countries from February 1-28.
“We are all concerned and we want whoever will take charge of the team must start immediately and that is why we also have the policy that it is the same coach that will manage the CHAN Eagles. So, you cannot have the opportunity to manage a team comprising of home-based players and at the end of the tournament, you come back to tell us that you don’t see one or two that can be injected into the senior national team.”The Super Eagles B are currently in camp at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne under the tutelage of Remo Stars Coach Daniel Ogunmodede and his Rangers International Counterpart Fidelis Ilechukwu as well as goalkeeper trainer Olatunji Baruwa, who led the team through the qualifiers against Ghana.
Chelle, who won five caps for the Aiglons of Mali and coached clubs such as GS Consolat, FC Martigues, Boulogne and MC Oran, has been head Coach of the Aiglons since 2022.At the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations finals, Chelle’s Mali came very close to a place in the semi-finals, losing to hosts and eventual winners Ivory 2-1 after extra time, after leading by a lone goal until the final minute of regulation time.Another work cut out for him would be guiding the Super Eagles to earn a ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals, with the team currently languishing in fifth place in their qualifying group ahead of the next round of matches taking place in March.
How Primate Ayodele Foretold Fresh Outbreak Of Ebola Virus In Africa (VIDEO)
Nestlé Nigeria Concludes 15-Year Anniversary Celebration of its Technical Training Centre with 20 New Graduates from Abaji Factory
SuperSport Delivers FA Cup Final, Penultimate League Drama Across Europe
Regberegbe 1986, 87 and 88 Appoints Deputy Speaker As Adviser Okunrin
