NAN-S-9
Competition
By Victor Okoye
Abuja, Nov. 2, 2016 (NAN) The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has set aside a total of N5 million as prize money for this year’s NFF/CBN All Financial Institutions Football Competition, the NFF and CBN revealed on Wednesday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that this was made known at a news conference in Abuja to announce this year’s competition.
The CBN Director of Corporate Communications, Mr Isaac Okoroafor, said a total of 16 teams were expected to take part in the competition.
He added that “the winner will take home N2 million, while the runner-up will pocket N1.5 million.
“The third and fourth place winners will get N1 million and N500,000 respectively,” he said.
He said that Akure, Enugu, Jos and Kaduna would serve as centres for the preliminary competition.
He explained that “the quarter finals, with the semi finals will take place in Calabar and Owerri, while the final will be staged at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo on Nov. 19.”
Okoroafor added that the competition would serve as platform for the promotion of unity, harmony and peaceful co-existence among institutions operating within Nigeria’s financial system.
NAN recalls that the annual event, now in its 30th year, was also graced in the past by top names in Nigerian football, including late Stephen Keshi, Henry Nwosu, Nwankwo Kanu and Pascal Patrick.
On its part, the NFF pledged to continue to provide the necessary technical support to make the competition more successful.
The NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, was represented at the news conference by the Director of Competitions, Mr Bola Oyeyode.
Participating institutions include First Bank of Nigeria, Dadinkowa MFB, Accountant General’s Office and Lavunkpan MFB in Group A, with Kaduna as centre.
The CBN, Union Assurance, Access Bank and Enterprise Bank are in Group B, with Enugu as centre.
Federal Inland Revenue Service, Unity Bank, Brass MFB and Kwali MFB are in Group C, with Jos
as centre.
Securities and Exchange Commission, Fulani Balogun MFB, Tangale MFB and the Federal Ministry of Finance are in Group D, with Akure as centre. (NAN)
VO/HA
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(Edited by Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu)