Lagos abuzz for 24th MILO Basketball Championship finals

Twelve schools, across both male and female categories, are gearing up to compete for top honours in the finals of the 24th MILO Secondary School Basketball Championship in Lagos.

Scheduled from June 23rd to June 28th, 2024, the championship will be held at the prestigious Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos. This event promises to showcase the finest young basketball talents from across the country.

The highly anticipated draws ceremony revealed the grouping of the 12 contenders into four pools each for both male and female categories, setting the stage for a thrilling competition. The schools that advanced through the preliminary stages in both the Northern and Southern conferences are as follows:

Male Category: Group A: Father O’Connell Science College; Bishop Dimieari Grammar School, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State; and Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria Secondary School, Cross River State. Group B: Ijaiye Housing Estate Senior Grammar School, Lagos; Rumfa College, Kano; and Government Day Secondary School, Gombe.

Female Category: Group A: Defending champions Topfield College, Ajegunle, Apapa, Lagos State; Dom Domingos College, Delta State; and Queen Amina College, Kaduna. Group B: Government Secondary School, FCT Abuja; Zarumai Model School, Minna, Niger State; and new entrant Onireke High School, Oyo State.

Speaking at the press conference and draws for the 24th MILO Basketball Championship finals, Wassim Elhusseini, Managing Director/CEO of Nestlé Nigeria, represented by the Commercial Director, Boladale Odunlami, said:

“MILO has been a cornerstone of youth empowerment in Nigeria, providing over 3.5 million school-aged children annually with opportunities to experience the transformative power of sports through programs like the MILO Building Champs and the MILO Basketball Championship.”

Mrs. Ifeanyi Orabuche, Category Manager for Beverages at Nestlé Nigeria, added:

“We commenced this year’s championship with a pool of over 12,000 talented teams nationwide. The competition has proved to be the most intense yet, culminating in the traditional selection of only twelve finalists—six teams in each category for boys and girls.”

Col. Sam Amedu, the president of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Africa Zone 3, thanked Nestlé Nigeria for their contribution to the growth of basketball in Nigeria. “Without the MILO school basketball championship, technically speaking, there will be no basketball in Nigeria.”

The twelve qualified teams will compete fiercely for the championship trophy, cash prizes, basketball kits, and an array of MILO goodies at the finals.