After a year of inactivity in the women’s league, Zenith Bank, sponsors of the women’s league have decided to provide N24.6million to sponsor the 2018 edition which will be in an abridged format next month.
The announcement was disclosed during a media parley in Lagos with members of the Zenith Bank representatives and the Nigeria Basketball Federation on Wednesday.
Group Managing Director, Peter Amangbo, who was represented by Akin Ogunranti, the company’s Deputy General Manager made the disclosure that the company was proud to support the league for the last 14 years.
“Over the past 13 years Zenith Bank Nig. Plc has sponsored NBBF/Zenith Bank Women’s National League as part of our contributions to the society and youth development,” said Ogunranti
“This is our core Corporate Social Responsibility which also has come a long way with partnership with the NBBF since 2005, beginning with just four teams and now has grown to 19 teams. We are indeed delighted that our intervention which has continued to yield tremendous result in the areas of women youth development.”
He added that the bank was also very happy to host the historic senior national women’s team, D’Tigress that won the 2017 FIBA Afrobasket which held in Bamako, Mali and also offered financial support for the D’Tigress team that competed in the just concluded FIBA World Cup in Tenerife, Spain.
Meanwhile, NBBF President Musa Kida who was reprsented by his Vice, Babatunde Ogunade said that Zenith Bank for the last 14 years has continued to show great support for development of basketball in Nigeria.
He acknowledged the bank’s support for the 2017 Afrobasket winning team and also their financial support for the FIBA Women’s World Cup.
“Our kudos goes to the Bank for doing all what they have been doing over the years; we appreciate them for what they have done. They have continued to support female basketball in Nigeria for the last 14 years and look forward to many more years of partnership”, Ogunade said.
Twenty-one teams will compete for honours in two Conferences simultaneously, Atlantic (Enugu) and the Savannah (Abuja) Conference.
The competition will run from October 28 to November 2 with three teams from each Conference qualifying to play in the National Finals holding in Lagos from November 3-7.
The two finalists will represent Nigeria at the FIBA Zone 3 Women’s Champions Qualifiers in Cotonou.
