The finals of the 2023 Zenith Bank Delta Headmasters’ Cup Football Competition were decided on Friday, May 19, 2023, at the Stephen Keshi Stadium, Asaba, with Owa Model Primary School, Owa, emerging champions.
In a tension soaked final match, the Owa boys defeated their opponents of Ogedegbe Primary School, Warri, by three goals to one via penalty kicks, after the match ended three goals apiece at the 70 minutes regulation time.
Besides winning the coveted trophy at stake, the champions went home with a brand new eighteen-seater bus, courtesy of the state government and a cheque for N750,000 from Zenith Bank.
The third place match was won by Destiny Group of Schools, Ughelli, which stopped Ogidi Primary School, Patani, with a two-goal defeat.
In his remarks at the end of the first half of the match, the State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, said the aim of the tournament, which was to boast school sports in Delta state and catch potential football stars young had been largely achieved.
Okowa, who was represented by the State Deputy Governor, Deacon Kingsley Otuaro, restated the determination of the state government to continually invest in sports development, which he noted had paid off with the spectacular performance of Delta state in national and international competitions.
The Governor commended Zenith Bank for sustaining the sponsorship of the competition in the state and assured the financial institution of the continued support of the state government in that direction.
In his address on the occasion, the State Commissioner for Basic Education, Hon (Chief) Sunday Onoriode, said the state government’s interest in partnering with Zenith Bank for the competition was to foster the development of grassroots sports in the state.
Chief Onoriode stated that the competition was aimed at discovering talented children in the game of football and nurture them to play in the Under-17 football competition, pointing out that the Okowa administration had, over the past eight years, promoted sporting activities and also created a master-plan for the development of grassroots sports, in partnership with the Organized Private Sector.
He said the Primary Education arm of the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education had left no stone unturned in ensuring that the Zenith Bank Delta Headmasters’ Cup Football Competition met the expectations of the sponsors and other stakeholders in the game of football.
The Commissioner noted that the 2023 edition of the competition was unique as it was the last the Okowa administration would be involved in, revealing that over 600 primary schools across the state registered for the competition out of which one team would emerge the overall winner.
Chief Onoriode thanked Governor Okowa for his visionary strides in making Delta great through sports and Zenith Bank for the institution’s overwhelming support for sports development initiatives in the state.
Earlier, the Group Managing Director of Zenith Bank, Mr Ebenezer Onyeagwu, said the 2023 edition was the second to be sponsored by the bank, describing the competition as the bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility initiative, which had yielded the expected results.
The GMD, who was represented by the Regional Director, Mr Lucky Ighade, commended the state government for being a partner in progress in the sponsorship of the competition and thanked the competing schools and their officials for their contributions to the success of the competition.
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