…accolades from Makinde, Onyali-Omagbemi, Oba Olutayo, Oluchi, ors
MTN Nigeria, in partnership with Making of Champions (MoC), led by Bambo Akani, on Monday showcased 20 young, talented athletic champions who were discovered and have been trained and developed to be future Olympic champions that can raise Nigeria’s sporting bar in the global competitions.
According to the telecommunications giant, MTN CHAMPS was launched with the primary goal of reviving grassroots athletics across Nigeria to discover, train, and develop young talent into world-class athletes, future Olympians, and global sporting legends.
MTN Champs Season 4, taking place in Ibadan, Oyo state capital, is Nigeria’s premier schools’ athletics competition, running from March to April 2026, featuring three legs (Calabar, Jos, and Ibadan) and designed to discover and train young athletes for the 2028 Olympic Games.
Idowu Adesokan, MTN General Manager, Consumer Segment and Devices, while addressing the press in Ibadan on Monday, said the Ibadan season 4 is the largest, featuring Junior (U20), Youth (U17), and Cadet (U14) categories.
He said that since its launch in 2023, the program has grown into a significant nationwide competition, involving thousands of athletes and featuring four age categories—Cadet, Youth, Junior, and Senior—making it a comprehensive talent search program.
According to him, the launch of the MTN Champs is a clear, deliberate vision by MTN to discover, nurture and develop young athletes across the country. He disclosed that the 30 most valuable and talented athletes have been discovered and selected, adding that they have been enrolled in a special academy.
While describing the initiative as a grassroots programme, he noted that it was geared towards encouraging young people to take athletics as a career.
While commending the MTN for the promotion of the young athletes, Mary Onyali-Omagbemi, a Nigerian former sprinter and 5 times Olympian from 1988 to 2004, who had won the bronze medal in the 4 × 100 m relay at the 1992 Olympic Games and in the 200 m at the 1996 Olympic Games, as well as, the 1994 Commonwealth Games 100 metres title, said that MTN “has given this country a future for our teeming youths.
They are the investments of today that we will reap the fruits of in the future. Kudos to the MTN for deeming it to train our youths. I am glad to give the MTN another name: ‘A One Stop Shop’. Medically, these youths are covered; they have solid mentorship and nutrition. Our Media should promote them”, she said.
Bambo Akani, founder and CEO of Making of Champions, in his address, said that the young champions were qualified for the competition in line with Olympic standards. He said 20 athletes were sponsored, including their education. “As a nation, we should be thinking of sponsoring about 100 to 200 athletes”, he said, disclosing that the 20 young athletes who were transported from Kaduna, Jos, Calabar, Delta, Rivers etc were sponsored all- expense- free to Ibadan where they will compete at Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, Ibadan, and the University of Ibadan Sports Complex.
On behalf of Governor Seyi Makinde, the Oyo State Commissioner for Sports, Mrs Wasilat Adegoke, commended MTN for the initiative, saying that “Oyo state will continue to provide an enabling environment for the athletes and their coaches to enjoy, as well as assure them of adequate security during their week-long stay.
In attendance also were: HRM Oba Jacob Dario Olutayo, Tunde Ajibike (Acting GM Oyo state Sports Council), Amb. Enoch Adegoke, Oluchi Ubazue (Marketing and Communications Manager at Beacon Power Services, BPS, and many others.
