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…Governor Sani inaugurates Access Bank Fifth Chukker School
By Bashir Bello, Kaduna
Fifth Chukker has won the maiden Herbert Wigwe Polo Memorial cup in Kaduna. They beat Jos Malcomines 10-9 in an epic match played before a capacity crowd at Fifth Chukker Lawns to draw the curtains on the 10-day 2024 Access Bank UNICEF Charity Shield polo tournament.
The tournament was dedicated to the memory of late Herbert Wigwe, former Group CEO of Access Holdings Corporation who died in a helicopter crash in the US last February alongside his wife, Chizoba and Oldest son, Chizzy.
In the enthralling 6-chukka (period) game, the two teams matched strength but Horsepower kept the crowd on edge with tit-for-tat goals from start to finish, with barely more than one goal separating the sides as each continually dug deeper to keep apace and stay in the game. It took a dramatic and improbable own goal by
Malcomines star player Facundo in the sixth and final period to give Fifth Chukker a two goal advantage for the first time, from which the Jos team could not recover before the final bell to end the match.
The match was watched by several VIPs including Kaduna state governor, Senator Uba Sani, Kogi state governor Usman Ododo, Emir of Zazzau, Ambassador Ahmed Nuhu Bamali, Emir of Katsina, Alhaji Abdulmumuni Kabir Usman and former Governor of Niger state, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello.. Others were Access Holdings chairman Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, Access Bank chairman Paul Usoro SAN, Access Bank Managing Director, Roosevelt Ogbonna and former Access Bank chairpersons, Mrs Mojisola Belo-Olusoga and Dr.(Mrs) Dere Awosika.
Earlier in the day, Governor Uba Sani inaugurated the 60-classroom complex and performed the ground-breaking ceremony for another sixty-classrooms development at the Access Bank Fifth Chukker Basic School Maraban- Jos Kaduna, built by the Access Bank Fifth Chukker charity shield partnership.. The governor also unveiled the new computer laboratory, Library and Arts studio.
Speaking at the occasion, the governor praised Access Bank and Fifth Chukker for initiating the project that has transformed the lives and outcomes of less privileged children. He also extolled Herbert Wigwe’s leading role in the project and his dedication to humanitarian causes, especially the education and welfare of disadvantaged and out-of-school children.
In his own speech the Access Bank Managing director Roosevelt Ogbonna expressed gratitude to the Kaduna state government for its exceptional charity partnership with Access Bank, Fifth Chukker and UNICEF in actualizing their community impacting projects in the state on the charity shield platform and, addressing the Kogi state
governor in the audience, promised to replicate the charity shield agenda in Kogi state.
