By Abbanobi -Eku Onyekachi
Abuja
The maiden edition of the Senate President National Open Lawn Tennis Championship has been scheduled for this October, according to a press statement from Jackson Udom,
Special Assistant, Media to the Senate.
The tournament, the statement went on, is being organised by the Africa Sports Management Nigeria Limited in collaboration with the Nigeria Tennis Federation.
The Chairman and CEO of Africa Sports Management, Rt. Hon. Prince Matthew Kolawole led a delegation to the Office of the President of the Senate on Wednesday, accompanied by Rotimi Akinloye as the representative of the President of the Nigeria Tennis Federation, to formally intimate the Senate President with the initiative.
The visit was facilitated by the Chairman of Senate Committee on Sports Development, Senator Abdul Ningi.
Kolawole said the championship was being organised in recognition of the Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s effective leadership at the National Assembly, even as he added that the main objectives of the tournament were to promote tennis development in Nigeria, provide lifestyle and engage Nigerian Youths through competitive sporting championship by using sports as medium of connection. Kolawole also announced that the tournament would hold in Abuja and Uyo in Akwa Ibom state.
Receiving his guests, the Senate President, welcomed the initiative and assured them of his support, even as he used appealed to the Nigerian private sector to assist in funding sports.
“The private sector can drive sports in Nigeria. Sports must not be funded by only the government. There are too many competing items for the resources of the federal government.
“Let the private sector come in and assist us and this kind of competition is a way of attracting the private sector, encouraging the students to take interest in tennis and in future they will make Nigeria proud,” Akpabio said.
