8 November 2009
Lagos — It was jubilation galore for sports lovers, friends and relations of the successful participants in the season 2 of the Oceanic Football Talent Hunt with Jay Jay Okocha, as 15 players that emerged finalists were unveiled. Each of the winners was presented with N1,000,000 and a car with the Most Valuable Player (MPV), Osi Isoa David driving home in a four-wheel drive Jeep
The unveiling ceremony held in Lagos marked the end of this year's football reality show which ran for over six months.
The football talent hunt powered by Oceanic bank is a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project of the bank designed to empower the youths as well as develop the nation's sports in line with its philosophy of building a stronger Nigeria.
Managing Director and Chief Executive of Oceanic Bank International Plc, Mr. John Aboh represented by the Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Mrs. Oyinkan Adewale expressed delight at the success of the Talent Hunt show noting that project is a reassurance of hope of a great future for the nation's youths in any field of endeavor.
"At a time when the national teams are looking for talents to restore the glorious day of Nigerian football, the Oceanic Football Talent Hunt project signals the direction that Nigerian sports administrators must follow-catch them young, keep them together and expose them to international stardom." He commented
Aboh expressed the conviction that some of the talents discovered and nurtured by Okocha will evolve to become key members of the national team that will bring laurels to Nigeria. "Today we are proud to give the nation 15 top class footballers who in addition to having learnt at the feet of one of the best have also been groomed in thee basics of financial management and self discipline.
"You have become soccer ambassadors and the nation is hopeful that you will do us proud. You are also a part of Oceanic bank, a brand that continues to provide excellent financial solutions and peace of mind to its customers and stakeholders."
In his comment, Austin Okocha thanked the management of Oceanic bank for believing in him and giving him the chance to deploy part of his wealth of experience to shape the players and sharpen their skills to be useful not only to themselves but also to the nation doing the business of football.
He urged other organizations to emulate the good gesture of Oceanic bank because all over the world, sports development could not be shouldered by the government alone more so when it has become big money spinning business
The ex-international said the problem of Nigerian football was not the dearth of talented and skillful players but lack of management of the available talents bordering mainly on inability to catch them young and groom them. He promised to monitor the players and ensure they are properly guided.
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Oceanic thanks for giving us hope.JJ did a wonderful job.thanks