Why I sponsor Ebonyi athletes to competitions— Cricket enthusiast

A Cricket enthusiast in Ebonyi State, Chika Okoro, has offered reasons he always sponsors state contingents to national cricket competitions anytime the state government could not. Okoro spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abakaliki on Monday, saying that his motivation was to save the athletes from getting rusty due […]

A Cricket enthusiast in Ebonyi State, Chika Okoro, has offered reasons he always sponsors state contingents to national cricket competitions anytime the state government could not.
Okoro spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abakaliki on Monday, saying that his motivation was to save the athletes from getting rusty due to lack of competitions.
NAN reports that Okoro has consistently sponsored cricketers to represent the state in national competitions, each time the government failed to sponsor contingents.
A recent case was the last National Sports Festival in Abeokuta, when the state cricket team he sponsored became Ebonyi’s lone contingents at the festival.
Okoro, who is the South-East Representative in the Nigeria Cricket Federation, said “seeing my state not participating in national competitions is worrisome”.
The ex- Nigerian cricket international said his desire to see budding cricketers, whom he groomed, showcase their skills at the national stage, was his biggest motivating factor.
“I floated a scholarship scheme in memory of my late wife, where I support budding female cricketers in their education while playing the sport.
“When I see these cricketers train for months and the state cannot sponsor them for competitions, the passion I have for the sport makes me sponsor them.
“I wholly sponsor their camping and cannot bear seeing them miss competitions, which would render the camping futile,” Okoro said. (NAN)