As part of activities marking this year’s World Environment Day, NBA Africa in partnership with Exonmobil Foundation and Pan-Africare’s Power Forward, have planted trees at the Government Secondary School Kubwa, Abuja.
This was part of the 2022 Power Forward Basketball’s visit, which included a life skills seminar with former NBA player, Olumide Oyedeji, and symbolic tree planting by the programme partners for sustainable greener environment.
The country director of Pan Africare, Dr Patrick Adah, said they were using basketball as a platform to teach and also talk about public health issues as well as the celebration of the World Environment Day.
He noted that the theme of this year’s World Environment Day, “Only One Earth” was about the need for collective efforts to protect the earth.
“So, we have come to this school to let the students know that there’s need for us to work together to protect the environment as part of the activities of power forward programme.
“We have different activities both in the health sector and the environment. So, this is focused on the environment. We have come to be with the students and let them know the importance of the environment. They are the leaders of tomorrow, so there is need for them to know and try to do it while they are in school,” he added.
Country head, Nigeria NBA Africa, Gbemisola Abudu, said the Power Forward has been in existence for nine years now and that it has been in partnership with Exonmobil and Pan Africare, while the NBA brings basketball technicalities into the partnership.
He said that they brought the curriculum for the junior NBA programme to teach the kids life skills and how to be successful on the court and off the court. It was also to make the game of basketball more accessible to kids in Abuja.
“NBA is a very environmental consciousness organisation and it so very important to us. So, planting trees is very important to us in terms of environment, this is part of what we are doing here today,” he added.
Deputy director and head of sports, FCT Secondary Education Board, Mr Jimoh Eneye, commended the organisations for the exercise.
