The Power Forward Project, a partnership project being implemented by ExxonMobil, the NBA Africa and PanAfricare, has reached over 200,000 people through life skills, public health awareness programmes and basketball programming in communities across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The programme, which uses basketball to teach health literacy, including malaria prevention, personal hygiene, life skills such as leadership, respect, and responsibility to secondary school students in the FCT, has expanded from 10 secondary schools to 40 since the programme launched in 2013.
PanAfricare Nigeria country director – Dr. Patrick Adah, who spoke during the Power Forward Annual Stakeholders meeting in Abuja, said the event brings together critical stakeholders annually to share and discuss the planned activities of the project for the year.
He said it is also an opportunity to get feedback from the stakeholders on the implementation of the project in their various schools.
“We welcome your feedback and value any suggestions you might have that will help up improve the implantation of the project. So today in our breakout session, we would like to hear from you on how you are sustaining the power Forward Project in your schools,”he added.
Adah noted that the Project is in its 10th year of implementation in the FCT and it is currently being implemented in 40 schools, with 1,200 student direct beneficiaries on a yearly basis.
He thanked the NBA Africa vice president and country lead Nigeria, Gbemislo Abudu and her team from the NBA Nigerian office for all the work they are doing to ensure that the students in the project derive maximum benefit from the project.
“Particularly for making it possible for the beneficiaries on the project, both the Student and the Coaches to have direct contact with established talents, ambassadors and expects in the game of Basketball.
“Every year they bring talents to interact with the students, last year they had the privilege of meeting with an NBA legend, Cedric Ceballos. Jerome Williams Ogiumike, and Fest oziri. They are all great men in every respect.
He also thanked the Secondary Education Board, the proprietors and the principals of the 40 schools for allowing the, to implement the Power Forward project in their schools.
One of the school principals, Fatima Mohammed, said the programme is amazing, saying even though her was newly adopted, the impact has been tremendous.
Mohammed, who is the principal of Federal Girls Secondary School, Dutse, the 30 students that are chosen for the programme in the school happen to be doing amazingly well.
“Mentally, the girls are becoming more balance. My wish is if Power Forward can actually incorporate all the girls, that will even be more amazing.
The meeting was attended by PanAfricare Nigeria country director, Dr. Patrick Adah, representative of ExxonMobil, NBA Africa Vice President, and Country Head for Nigeria – Gbemisola Abudu, and former NBA player and 2015 FIBA AfroBasket Champion, Olumide Oyedeji, Secondary Education Board Director Co-Curricular- Hajiya Fatimah Babba, School Principals and School owners from 40 private and government schools on the project.
