MTN, Edo govt take grassroots sports development to schools

Benin to host 2025 MTN Champs

MTN Nigeria has pledged its commitment to the crusade to revive school sports in the country with the unveiling of Nigeria’s biggest Schools’ Athletics Championships, tagged “MTN CHAMPS,” which third edition will be held in Benin City, Edo State.

The General Manager, Segment and Devices, MTN Nigeria, Idowu Adesokan, said during a courtesy visit to the Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, at the Government House, that the inaugural edition, which held from October to November 2023 across four cities—Benin, Uyo, Ibadan, and Abuja, brought together over 7,000 athletes, and nearly 500 schools, who competed in three age categories: Cadet (U-14), Youth (U-17), and Junior (U-20).

He maintained that this year’s edition would be held in three cities: Benin (March 13 to 15), Lagos (April 9 to 12), and the grand final in Uyo (April 30 to May 3).

“For the first time, all the competitions before the grand final will be held at two locations with MTN CHAMPS Athletics Classics in Benin, holding at both the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium and UNIBEN Sports Complex simultaneously.

“MTN CHAMPS Continental Relays will bring the championship to Lagos for the first time and will be held in both Yabatech Sports Complex and UNILAG Sports Complex. The grand finale will be held at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State,” he said.

While soliciting the support of the Edo State government for the programme, Adesokan told Okpebholo that MTN Champs is a grassroots programme that the company developed with its partners to bring athletics back to the forefront in Nigeria.

He said: “When we started MTN Champs in 2023, Edo State, Benin was one of the places we started with then and it was very successful. That is why we repeated it in 2024, but in 2024, we didn’t come to Edo State, we went to other states. Now we are back in Edo state.”

Governor Okpebholo in his remarks expressed delight to receive the MTN Champs team to the state, just as he assured them that whatever they want from the state government would be given to them.

The governor said the state would gladly partner with MTN to make the event a success.