.LOC begins sensitisation campaign across Lagos

TEAM Nigeria stars and their Uzbekistan counterparts have taken over the courts of the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club (LLTC), Onikan, ahead of the Davis Cup World Group 11 playoff, which holds this weekend.

The Uzbeks arrived in Lagos on Sunday and headed straight to their Eko Hotels camp, from where they shuttle to the LLTC daily to fine-tune their strategies for the Davis Cup playoff, while their hosts have been in the city since last week, getting ready for the contest.

In the Uzbekistan team are four players, including a playing captain, and four officials, who arrived in Nigeria on Sunday.

In the Nigerian team are Daniel Adeleye, Canice Abua, Michael Emmanuel, Uchenna Oparaoji and Yusuf Abubakar.

Team Nigeria’s Coach, Benson Ishicheli, who has been taking his boys on a rigorous training regime since they arrived in Lagos, told The Guardian, yesterday, that all is set for the battle that will relaunch the country into the mainstream of world tennis.

Ishicheli said the team is confident of securing qualification to the next stage of the championship, adding that the players are in excellent form and fully prepared for the challenge.

While calling on tennis enthusiasts and sports lovers to come out en masse to support the national team, he said: “We are battle-ready for the encounter. The Uzbekistan team, including players and officials, arrived in Nigeria on Sunday for the Davis Cup play-off. All Team Nigeria needs now is total support, as all hands are on deck to ensure victory at the tournament.”

Meanwhile, the Marketing, Media and Communication Committee of the Local Organising Committee, yesterday, embarked on a sensitisation campaign, which included the distribution of fliers to corporate bodies and selected higher institutions and private secondary schools in Lekki/Victoria Island and Ikeja axis.

The campaign, which featured some ball hitters/boys in t-shirts and Davis Cup face caps, according to the LOC Committee members, is aimed at sensitising the public to the efforts of the Nigerian team to bring honours to the country.