New Okocha, Kanu, Babayaro may Emerge Today as...GTBank – Lagos State Principals Cup 2015 Grand Finale Holds

 The stage is finally set for this 2015 grand finale of the 
Prestigious  GTBank–Lagos State Principals Cup competition billed for
today, 20th May, 2015 at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, and no doubt new stars like Okocha, Kanu, Babayaro may Emerge Today

No
doubt this is first step to catch future starts at a very young age for
as Malcom X once said: ‘’ The future belongs to those who prepare for
it today. So come today, the biggest grassroots football competition in
West Africa enters its concluding phase as four schools in the male and
female categories are set to compete for the highly coveted winners
trophies.

For
6 years running, the competition has provided a developmental platform
for young talents to be identified, nurtured and contribute immensely to
the development of grassroots football.

615
teams drawn from secondary schools across 6 districts in Lagos State
featured in this season’s competition which is tagged “Smash all
Barriers. Players like Salisu Anuoluwapo from Ikotun Senior High School,
Ikotun and Moshood Akano from Birrel Avenue Senior High School, Sabo,
are notable names to look out for. Both players scored 5 and 3 goals
respectively, and emerged as the most valuable player 3 times in the
course of the tournament.

In
the build up to the finals, Keke High School, Ijaiye defeated Ifako
Comprehensive Senior Secondary School Gbagada by a lone goal, while
Ikorodu Senior High School, Ikorodu lost to Birrel Avenue Secondary
School Sabo by 2-1. In the female category, Oriwu Senior Model College,
Ikorodu knocked out CMS Girls Senior Secondary School Bariga 4-3 on
penalties, just as Ikotun Senior High School, Ikotun edged out
government Senior College, Agege by 3-1. Third Place matches will be
played on Monday 18th May, 2015. This year’s finals promises to be full
of pomp and glamour as new sets of young stars will be ushered into
limelight.

According
to Segun Agbaje, the Managing Director of GTBank, “the Principals Cup
Competition paves the way for youths to cultivate their sporting talents
and aptitudes, while fostering and building a healthier lifestyle at a
critical stage in their lives”. He enjoined the students to imbibe the
spirit of fair play, hard work, and discipline, which are some of the
core values of GTBank.
The female final match starts at
11am while the male final match will kick off from 1pm. The Executive
Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Raji Fashola, and the Managing
Director of Guaranty Trust Bank, Segun Agbaje are expected to hand over
trophies to the winning GTBank-Lagos State schools.

At
the end of the tournament, cash prizes of N1, 000,000, N750,000,
N500,000 and N250,000 will be presented to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th
place winners in each of the male and female categories. GTBank will
provide sports facility/infrastructure upgrade and sports equipment such
as balls, goal post nets and corner flags for schools throughout the
duration of the competition.
Guaranty Trust Bank plc is
one of the few Nigerian financial institutions that have maintained a
defined Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy since its
inception in 1990. The Bank actively supports in-classroom and
out-of-classroom educational programmes, infrastructure development,
students’ scholarship and teachers training across Africa.