Abuja football club wins 41^st CBN Governor’s Cup

Ini Billie, Uyo

Abuja headquarters Football Club have emerged winners of the 41st edition of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor’s Cup Football Competition.

Abuja CBN FC defeated Minna CBN FC, 2 – 1 in the final match played on Saturday at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, while Kano CBN FC defeated Calabar CBN FC, 2 -1 to emerge third place.

Abuja FC who is winning the competition for the sixth time since it started in 1981, received a trophy, gold medals and a cash prize of N800,000, while the second and third-place winners received silver and bronze medals as well as N600,000 and N400,000 respectively.

The 4th place team received N200,000, while trophies were given to the Most Disciplined Team (MDT), Highest Goal Scorer (HGS) and Most Valuable Player (MVP).

Speaking after the final match, CBN Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele said the competition encouraged social relationships between staff as well as maintained a healthy workforce through sports.

Emefiele who was represented at the occasion by the Director, Branch Operations Department, CBN, Mrs Elizabeth Fasoranti, said the presence of participants at the event was a strong indication of their commitment and collaboration with the CBN towards the development of sports in Nigeria.

“The significance of the competition, reflected in the Bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility and derived from its sponsorship of the All-Financial Institutions Football Competition, remains a testament to the Bank’s contributions towards the development of sports in the Country.

“The CBN team that participates in this Nationwide Competition is usually selected from the participating teams in the Governor’s Cup Football Competition. We have also been at the forefront of supporting and developing sports through our sponsorship of other events which include the CBN Lawn Tennis Open and CBN Golf tournaments.

“This year’s competition is an epoch-making event as the Maiden “CBN All Female Novelty Football Match” took place this morning to usher in a sporting activity for women along with the Governor’s Cup Competition, to engender social recreation, cohesion, team building and a healthy workforce as well as create a diverse and inclusive sports community within the Bank,” he stated.

The governor applauded all the teams that participated in the event for the healthy spirit of sportsmanship displayed throughout the competition and congratulated the winners and other finalists of the 2022 event.

He encouraged teams that did not reach the finals to prepare in earnest for the 2023 edition with great passion, determination, and hope.

He applauded the Akwa Ibom State Government and all other stakeholders for their assistance in the successful organisation of the competition, as well as CBN, Uyo, for hosting the competition involving all the branches and the head Office, which kicked off between August 22 and September 2, 2022, in eight centers across the country.

Representative of the CBN, Godwin Emefiele CBN, Mrs Elizabeth Fasoranti, presenting trophies to the female team