Lagos schools thank Promasidor over hockey sticks donation

OFFICIALS and students of 24 secondary schools in Lagos State have commended Promasidor Nigeria Limited, makers of Cowbell, Toptea, Loya and Onga, for donating 1000 sticks to their hockey teams.

   Promasidor had last week in association with BME Concern and Ripples, a United Kingdom-based Charity Organisation, donated the items to the students of the schools with the motive of developing the game in Nigeria. The benefitting schools from the donations include Eric Moore Senior Secondary School, Euba Junior Secondary School, Fazil Omar High School, Iponri Estate Junior High School, Lagos City Senior College, Randle Senior Secondary School, St. Patrick Junior Grammar School, Station Junior Grammar School, Eletu Odigbo High School, Police Children School and Marywood Girls Secondary School.   

  Others are Surulere Girls Junior Secondary School, Army Cantonment Girls Secondary School, Methodist Girls High School, Kings College, Queens College, St. Finbarrs Secondary School, United High School, Isiwu Secondary School Ikorodu, St. Gregory College Obalende, Igbaja Boys Secondary School, Ansau-Ud-deen Secondary School, Oke Magba High School and Reagan Memorial Girls Baptist Secondary School. 

The donation was made to the students at the Union Bank Sports Club, Surulere, Lagos, venue of the hockey event of this year’s IBILE Games for All Secondary Schools in the state.

  Speaking on the donation, Arasomwan Nosa Godwin, the Vice Principal of Okemagba High School, Mojoda, Epe, said the support by Promasidor to the students would surely serve as a booster to the hockey team of his school. He disclosed that due to high cost, the team had hitherto been using improvised hockey sticks, which are not as qualitative and durable as those donated by Promasidor. 

  “The high cost of hockey sticks makes it difficult for many schools in the state to participate in notable hockey competitions. That informed using improvised hockey sticks, which get broken easily. This support by Promasidor will serve as a boost to our students and the team generally. We are so grateful to Promasidor.”

 Also commending the company for the donation, the Chief Education Officer for Kings College, Lagos, Ogbadu Abalaka, noted that hockey has been one of the key games the College has been known for since its establishment in 1909. 

  However, he said the dearth of equipment like hockey sticks was one of the challenges militating against the growth of the game in the school, adding that the donation by Promasidor will assist in alleviating the menace in the school as it would better position the school’s hockey teams for hockey competitions in Nigeria and abroad. 

  Abalaka disclosed that Kings College plays bilateral hockey games with Achimota schools in Ghana. So, “the donation by Promasidor to our students came at the right time. It will certainly boost our performance. We thank the company for this”, he stated.  

   While presenting the hockey sticks to the students, the Head of Legal/Public Relations of Promasidor, Andrew Enahoro, said the company picked on hockey after making its indelible mark on football as a means of bringing out the sporting skills in the youth. To him, other states of the Federation will also benefit from the support for the game of hockey as the management is planning to extend the support to students in other states.