The finals of the 4th PwC National U-17 Cricket Championship bowls off at the Cricket Oval of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium Abuja with representatives of six geo-political zones slugging it out in a fierce competition.
The event powered by the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) in collaboration with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is geared towards growing and developing the game of cricket at the grassroots across Nigeria.
Speaking at the press conference on Wednesday in Abuja ahead of the finals for the U17 boys and girls kicking off on April 13 to Sunday, April 16, 2023, the NCF President, Uyi Akpata, who was represented by the NCF’s secretary-generation, Mr Taiwo Orris, said: “What we are doing today is very important to the Federation because this partnership has not only taken us to where it has taken us a Federation, but for more importantly it has taken these young boys and girls off the streets, helping them to find means of livelihood through sport which is part of the goals of the government.
“So, I want to formally welcome all of us as we look forward to a beautiful tournament together and we will not stop appreciating and praising the PwC for their involvement and commitment to this course.
“If not for them, we wouldn’t have been able to achieve this. Their push and encouragement has actually been a major stride and source of motivation for us as a Federation.”
Representative of PwC, Tolu Adeleke, reiterated his organisation’s commitment to continuous sponsorship of the championship, saying the championship aligned with PwC’s core value of problem-solving.
“We are happy to be part of cricket development in Nigeria focusing on young talents.
“One of the reasons we are collaborating with the NCF is because our values clearly align with the value of cricket globally which is integrity, working together and care. These are the values we hold dearly in PwC.
“When you look at the value of International Cricket Council – value of fairness, integrity, excellence and teamwork, you can see clear alignment with what we are doing and in PwC.
“One of the things we do is building trust and solving societal problems and this collaboration is affording us that opportunity to do that because we get kids off the streets, ensuring that they get active in other positive human developmental activities rather than exposing them to societal vices,” Adekele said.
No fewer than 800 players participated in the championship at the zonal levels across six centers.
