Brand
MultiChoice Nigeria Restates Commitment To Creative Industry Growth
Olushola Okunlade Writes
Leading pay television service provider, MultiChoice Nigeria, has reiterated its commitment to the growth of the country’s entertainment industry. The company’s position, made known in Lagos on Tuesday, was the highlight of the discussion between MultiChoice Nigeria and the Directors’ Guild of Nigeria (DGN) during a courtesy visit to the latter.
Discussions at the meeting revolved around opportunities for collaboration and mutually beneficial ideas with the potential to accelerate the growth of the major industry stakeholder entities such as Africa Magic, MultiChoice Talent Factory, and the DGN.
The MultiChoice team, led by Caroline Oghuma, Executive Head of Corporate Affairs, explained that the meeting was a sign of the company’s cordial relationship with the DGN and afforded it the opportunity to formally introduce the newly appointed MultiChoice Nigeria’s executives to an important stakeholder group.
The new executives include Busola Tejumola, Executive Head of Content and West Africa Channels; and Atinuke Babatunde, Academy Director, West Africa, MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF), who both spoke on the importance of the relationship between both parties.
Tejumola explained that MultiChoice Nigeria is keen on strengthening existing industry collaborations and building new ones.
“I think it is important for us to be here today to consolidate what I know the guild and MultiChoice has been building over the last few years. We think it’s time for us to work better together with the industry. We have been a part of the industry and it’s time for us now to truly collaborate.
“I know that we have areas of synergy, and the goal is to further advance the creative industry. As a brand, we are doing all we can, but we can’t do it by ourselves. We need collaborations and partnerships with different organisations that are the backbone of Nollywood and the creative industry at large,” she said.
On her part, Atinuke noted that the MultiChoice Talent Factory initiative is crucial to the growth of the creative industry because it provides opportunities for professional capacity building.
“Through the MultiChoice Talent Factory, we would be organizing more masterclasses. Upskilling is important for us in terms of the growth of the industry.
“The Academy currently supports the industry through three major ways which are the Academy, where 20 students are trained to become filmmakers; the masterclass, where we partner with industry experts; and the last part is where we integrate with the industry to ensure that there is a synergy,” she explained.
She added that the MTF portal is important to the envisaged synergy and called on industry professionals to register on it because it provides an opportunity for collaboration and partnership through the over 11,000 people it has across Africa.
President of the DGN, Victor Okhai, who led members of the guild to receive the MultiChoice Nigeria team, commended the company for its effort at reviving its relationship with the guild.
“This is a new dawn. The partnership with MultiChoice has been symbolic. It has sold us to the world and amplified and magnified Nollywood even more.
“You have helped build capacity over the years and the benefits have been mutual for both parties,” Okhai said.
He also urged MultiChoice Nigeria to widen the room for inclusiveness, acquisition and commissioning of content by all and not a select few. The DGN President similarly called on the MultiChoice Nigeria team to become guild members. Members of the guild present during the meeting included Zeb Ejiro, Member, DGN Board of Trustees; Matthias Obahiagbon, Fidelis Duker and Bond Emeruwa, former DGN presidents; filmmakers Uzodinma Okpechi and Perekeme Odon, DGN Public Relations Officer.
By Moninuola Sulaiman
It is a dream come true for coach Emmanuel Biodun Tanko, head coach of Father O’Connell Science College, Minna, Niger State, as his team defeated their counterparts from Government Secondary School, Karu, FCT in the final of the boys’ category in the just concluded Central Conference of the MILO Basketball Championship.
According to Coach Tanko, his team lost to the same opponents last year in the same championship. On the team’s preparation on the road to victory this year, Coach Tanko said, “We had a 70-day period of training. During Ramadan, we were there. It is a testimony that hard work pays off. Also, without God, we would not have been able
to achieve this feat.”
Captain of the winning team from Father O’Connell Science College, Minna, Niger State, Mahmood Mustapha Mohammed, thanked Nestlé MILO for supporting and sponsoring them. The young man who says his dream is to play globally recognized stars in the National Basketball Association (NBA) one day, also said, “I want to give a big shout-out to our parents and coaches for always being there for us and believing in us, trusting that we will come back with the trophy.”
Funmilola Oyewole – Category Development Manager Beverages at Nestlé Nigeria PLC delivering the welcome address during the finale of the Central Conference of the 23rd MILO Basketball Championship at the Indoor Sports Hall, Package ‘B’ of the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abuja on May 18, 2023.
Players and officials of Father O’Connell Science College, Minna, Niger State receiving their champions trophy and MILO gifts from Funmilola Oyewole – Category Development Manager Beverages at Nestlé Nigeria PLC, and Mr. Victor Anyanwu Events Manager at Nestlé Nigeria PLC Central Conference of the 23rd MILO Basketball Championship at the Indoor Sports Hall, Package ‘B’ of the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abuja on May 18, 2023.
The boys from Father O’Connell Science College, Minna, Niger State fought hard in a keenly contested encounter to defeat the boys from Government Secondary School, Karu, FCT with 53 points to 49. They were therefore crowned champions in the boys’ category at the Central Conference of the 23rd MILO Secondary Schools Basketball
Championship was held in Abuja from the 12th to the 19th of May 2023.
In the final game of the girls’ category of the championship, Government Secondary School, Karu, FCT defeated their counterparts from Queen Amina College, Kakuri, Kaduna State by 35 points to 24 points. Both Father O’Connell Science College, Minna, Niger State, and Government Secondary School, Karu, FCT will represent the Central Conference at the national finals of the 23rd MILO Basketball Championship in Lagos in July.
Other teams who will be in Lagos for the national finals are winners from the already concluded Savannah Conference which was held in Kano from the 3rd to the 10th of May and winners from the two upcoming conferences – Atlantic Conference in Asaba from the 20th to 27th of May and Western Conference in Ibadan from May 30th to June 6th, 2023.
Category Manager for Beverages, Nestlé Nigeria, Mr. Olutayo Olatunji, reiterated Nestle’s commitment to developing talents, promoting healthier lifestyles, and instilling values for success in life through sports. “MILO, firmly believes that through participation in sports, children learn enduring values to help them achieve success in life,” he said.
“We are, therefore, pleased to have this opportunity to provide a platform where young talents find expression through MILO Secondary School Basketball Championship. On the field of play, the teams depend on the discipline,
perseverance, courage, self-belief, and respect that they imbibe during practice and through their interactions with each other. These life skills are not only for basketball; they equip the players to navigate their careers and to be productive in society.
In a nutshell, ‘the GRIT’ you learn in sport, you keep for life.” Nestlé Nigeria’s MILO Secondary School Basketball Championship has been promoting the value of grit for over 23 years, helping schoolchildren learn essential life skills such as resilience, persistence, stamina, cooperation, and self-belief. These values enable them to overcome challenges and achieve their goals in life.
Nestlé continues to lead grassroots sports development in Nigeria through its MILO Basketball Championship, contributing to the growth of many players in the Nigerian national teams, and notable clubs across the world today.
States who competed in the Central Conference of the MILO Basketball Championship at the Indoor Sports Hall, Package ‘B’ of the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abuja from the 12th to 19th of May, 2023 are Kebbi, Kogi, Nasarawa, and host FCT.
Others are Kaduna, Niger, Plateau, Benue and Sokoto states. The MILO Basketball Championship has grown tremendously from about 500 schools at its commencement in 1999. It now reaches over 150,000 individual players from over 10,000 schools across Nigeria every year.
Spectra Industries Limited, home of functional foods has presented Instant Hyfiba Meal to the Nigerian Association Of Small Scale Industrialists (NASSI) Lagos Chapter.
The presentation on Wednesday is to show Lagos NASSI senior members how INSTANT HYFIBA MEAL is been prepared without wasting time or any form of energy.
Hyfiba meal
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