Over 60 players will participate in the maiden annual Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) Western Zone Table Tennis Tournament as government agencies including; Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), unions like Maritime Worker’s Union of Nigeria (MWUN), among others have indicated interest.
Meanwhile, over 30 customs brokers agencies, have expressed interest to participate in the competition which will feature two representatives from each agency vying for the coveted title and a cash prize of N10 million.
Speaking at a pre- event press briefing in Lagos on Tuesday, Vice President of ANLCA, Prince Segun Oduntan, said the tournament, which holds on December 6th & 7th, aims to promote fitness and healthy living among members and stakeholders in the industry.
He noted the importance of physical activity in reducing work-related stress and fostering a sense of community among industry professionals.
“This tournament is an opportunity for us to come together, laugh, interact, keep fit and exercise. We want to bring everybody together including stakeholders, all the people we interact with and our fellow professional colleagues, so that we have an ambience where we can forget about our daily challenges, work stress and enjoy the camaraderie of sports.
“So far, Customs has shown interest, NIMASA has shown interest even the maritime reporters associations have shown interest. Our colleagues with registered companies have shown interest because it is part of showcasing their company as well. We have almost about 30 registered companies that have shown interest,” Oduntan said.
Noting that within ANLCA alone, there are up to 30 companies interested, he expressed concern that the organizers may soon stop people from participating because of the high turnout within Western zone of the association.
Oduntan while extending invitation to other industry stakeholders and agencies who are yet to key into the tournament said the forms are free and and open to all lovers of table tennis.
Also speaking, the Western Zone Coordinator of ANLCA, Mr. Femi Anifowose emphasized the importance of the tournament as a much- needed break from months of hard work.
He stressed that the tournament, which would be held annually, would encourage participants to assess their health and take proactive steps to improve their well-being.
“It is going to be an exciting way to wrap up the year after months of hustling and bustling. It will also help people to know their state of health. Most people don’t know the kind of health challenges they are carrying about, but if you do more exercise, you can discover yourself and see how to treat yourself very well. That is why we bring out this tournament, which is the first of it’s kind in ANLCA,” Anifowose remarked.
On his part, the Proprietor of Not Too Bad Sports Centre, which is the venue of the ANLCA tournament, Deputy Controller, Mike Ohadike (Rtd) expressed his gratitude to the organizers for selecting his facility to host the event.
While emphazing the significance of table tennis sport, Ohadike said table tennis players enjoy an additional nine years of lifespan, even as he assured participants of a conducive environment and enjoyable tournament.
“Table tennis is a sport that provide healthy conditions for living, it is adduced that players of table tennis have additional life span of nine years, all rackets sports apart from football and other sporting activities. I will like to assure participants that they are going to have all the necessary accommodating environment to participate in this competition,” he added.
