FirstBank Inaugurates Basketball Arena At Army Cantonment

FirstBank Group has reinforced its long-standing commitment to nation-building and sports development with the commissioning of a modern Basketball & Games Arena at the Nigerian Army 9 Brigade Cantonment, positioning the facility as a hub for youth development, wellness and community bonding within the military environment.

Speaking on the inauguration, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of FirstBank Group, Olusegun Alebiosu, said the newly inaugurated arena reflects the bank’s belief that sustainable development extends beyond banking halls to creating spaces that inspire discipline, teamwork, and opportunity.

“This arena symbolises partnership, presence and commitment,” Alebiosu said, noting that the facility, located beside the bank’s branch within the cantonment, will serve as a vibrant recreational centre for over 25,000 officers, personnel and their dependents. According to him, the court could also nurture future basketball talents capable of representing Nigeria on the global stage.

He described the Nigerian Army 9 Brigade community as one defined by courage, order and service, adding that, FirstBank was proud to be welcomed not just as a corporate partner, but as a neighbour invested in the everyday lives of soldiers and their families.

Beyond physical infrastructure, Alebiosu said FirstBank’s support to the cantonment extends to tailored financial solutions such as FirstMobile for secure digital transactions and FirstAdvance for short-term financial support, aimed at easing the daily financial needs of officers and their families.

The arena, inaugurated under FirstBank’s First@Sports initiative, aligns with the bank’s broader strategy of promoting sports as a means of fostering social cohesion and talent development. For over 131 years, FirstBank has maintained a consistent presence in Nigeria’s sports ecosystem, supporting basketball, golf, polo and tennis, among others.

The bank’s women’s basketball team, FirstBank Basketball Club, popularly known as the Elephant Girls, is currently representing Nigeria at the final round of the Women’s Basketball League Africa in Cairo, Egypt, after emerging silver medallists at the 2025 Zenith Nigeria Basketball Federation Women’s Premier League.

With legacy sponsorships such as the Lagos Amateur Golf Open, now in its 64th year, and the Georgian Polo Cup, which has been sponsored for over a century, FirstBank stated that it remained committed to providing enabling platforms for Nigerians to discover and develop their talents.