Schools, Students Commend Promasidor For Donation of Hockey Sticks

Promasidor had on Monday, 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 schools that benefited 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 School, Queens College School, 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, Mr. Arasomwan Nosa Godwin, the Vice Principal of Okemagba High School, Mojoda, Epe, said the support by Promasidor to the students will 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. His words: “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.”

Similarly, Mr. Ogbadu Abalaka, the Chief Education Officer for Kings College, Lagos 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 is one of the challenges militating against the growth of the game in the school. He stated 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, Mr. 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. His words: “What you are seeing today is the first in the series of donations we are going to make. We are going to cover the six geopolitical zones of the country. Enahoro further noted that the donation was directed toward two principal platforms – supporting children who had interest in the game but could not afford the sticks and also keeping them away from the streets and mischief by engaging them in a meaningful sporting activity with potential to develop their character. “Hockey is more than just a game for entertainment. Other than the obvious health benefits of getting physical activity, also important are the life skills that hockey players learn from a young age and carry on well past their hockey careers. Hockey builds character, improves mental agility in children and players learn to work as a team, develop strong communications and respect for rules,” he noted.

Pleased with the donation, Dim Zimuzor, the Captain of Marywood Girls Junior Secondary School, Surulere hockey team, said the quality of the hockey sticks given by Promasidor is high and that the donation will spur her team to greater height. She disclosed that the school had only 14 sticks before Promasidor gave her team members a total of 30. The implication, she stated, is every player now has at least a hockey stick. She said: “this will impact positively on the game of hockey in our school.”

The Hockey Coach for the school, Ajibose Kayode, who corroborated what Zimuzor said, explained that the school authority provided the equipment initially, but could not sustain it with the increase in the number of students’ intake. “The school authority alone cannot do that. It needs support from private institutions like Promasidor. We appreciate the gesture by Promasidor.”

Similarly, Walter Okereafor, Hockey Team Captain for Eric-Moore Senior High School, Surulere said the school had no hockey sticks before the donation by Promasidor. He assured that the support by the company will help the team in training its players.