The 6th edition of the Delta State Zenith Bank Principal’s Cup Competition will officially commence on Thursday, October 19, 2023.
This was officially announced during a press conference by the Delta State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Mrs. Rose Ezewu in Asaba, the state capital on Wednesday.
Mrs. Ezewu said the competition is a remarkable initiative of the Delta State government to promote youth development, foster healthy competition, and identify and nurture talented footballers among secondary school students while providing a platform for quality education for them.
According to the Basic and Secondary Education commissioner, the Delta Principal’s Cup tournament has long been recognized as the cornerstone for the development of youth football in the state.
Ezewu thanked Zenith Bank PLC for the continual general support and sponsorship for this year’s edition which is the 6th edition of the sponsorship competition by the bank and promises to be an improvement from the previous editions.
In her words “The commitment of Zenith Bank PLC towards supporting educational initiative and supporting events in Delta State is a true reflection of their dedication to corporate social responsibility and empowerment to our young children.
“It is worthy to note that efforts by the Zenith Bank PLC as proved to be worthwhile as some of the talents discovered in the tournament are already making waves across Nigeria and overseas.
“Therefore, to sustain the noble idea of collaboration between the Delta State government and Zenith Bank Plc is in line with our program of activities for the 2023 Principla’s Cup competition. The tournament will run from Thursday, October 19, to Thursday, November 30, 2023, with the official kick-off of the competition held today Wednesday 18, October 2023 in St Patrick College in Asaba.
“Also, the preliminary stage of the competition will run simultaneously among competing schools in the 25 LGAs of the state.”
On his part, the consultant and Chief Responsibility Officer of Hideaplus Nigeria LTD, Mr Tony Oritse Pemu said this year’s event comes with much fanfare and upgraded quality in terms of match officiating, discipline, and professionalism.
The local organizing committee will be putting up tremendous efforts in education and enlightening participants and critical stakeholders on the new requirements. According to him, they are set for real action and successful outings.
He repeated that the game is not to fulfill all righteousness but to discover, explore, and nurture the hidden talents in the young ones, adding that the dream is to groom them for an international platform.
“We shall explore collaborations for training and showcasing discovered talents beyond the shores of Nigeria. In addition, plans have been concretized for wide media coverage both electronic and print. While looking forward to a successful tournament.”
