Airtel Rising Stars has created opportunities for Nigerian youths, says Ogunsanya

Managing Director of Airtel Nigeria, Segun Ogunsanya, has described the Rising Stars competition sponsored by his firm as an avenue created for the youths to take their first steps into professional football.

Rivers State boys and girls teams on Saturday defeated Lagos and Abuja to win the Season 5 male and female titles respectively of the Airtel Rising Stars competition.

Ogunsanya, while presenting the medals and trophies to the Port Harcourt teams, congratulated the youngsters for their outstanding performance in the championship. He noted that their hard work and preparation earned them the victory.

He explained that through the programme, Airtel has created opportunities for thousands of talented Nigerian youths, empowering them to succeed in their footballing career

He reassured of the company’s commitment to creating opportunities that would provide the springboard for talented young boys and girls to climb to stardom, maintaining that the firm was passionate about unlocking the potentials of exceptionally talented Nigerian youth.

In the thrilling finals at the Yaba College of Technology (Yabatech) Sport Complex, the Port Harcourt male team defeated Lagos in a penalty shootout, which ended 3-1 after a scoreless draw, while the female team trashed the Abuja girls by 2-0, to clinch the trophy.

The third place position for the male category went to Abuja, while the Lagos team emerged third in the female category.

The three-day contest, which kicked off on Thursday, featured a total of six teams and 90 players who represented the North, South and West regions.