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 said
Cynosure 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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