Premium Trust Bank Abuja Half Marathon’s fortune will change after April 20

<strong><em>Premium Trust Bank MD/CEO, Mr. Emmanuel Efe Emefienim (middle) with, MD Nilayo Sports Management Ltd, Chief Bukola Olopade and Yusuf Ali among others at the press conference to herald the Premium Trust Bank Abuja City International Half Marathon, at the bank’s headquarters Monday in Lagos.</em></strong>

One good thing about the upcoming Premium Trust Bank Abuja City International Half Marathon is that the organizers and the title sponsor are on the same page about what they want for the competition now and in the future.

Both Nilayo Sports Management, under whose leadership the endurance race approved by World Athletics is organized, and the main sponsor, Premium Trust Bank, want to contribute everything necessary to organise the first edition scheduled for Saturday, April 20.

Not only will the Abuja event be unforgettable, but they want to ensure the one-day event has all the details you expect from a world-class race.

Trust Nilayo Sports Management whose Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Bukola Olopade, is a guru in the business and interestingly, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Premium Trust Bank, Mr. Emmanuel Efe Emefienim a sports enthusiast whose passion and love for sports knows no bounds.

Speaking at a press conference to announce the Premium Trust Bank’s first Abuja City International Half Marathon held at the bank’s headquarters in Victoria Island, Lagos on Monday, Emefienim said the plan he and his management team have for the tournament is not just is to be a benchmark in Nigeria, but a platform to measure participation in the marathon in Africa and around the world.

“We value our collaboration with Nilayo Sports Management; “We want the marathon to become a global phenomenon.

“We will provide all necessary support to the organization of the event and are ready to support the uplifting of the tourney to a label status after this first deployment,” said Emefienim.

Yusuf Ali, Technical Director of the championship and Chairman, Edo State Sports Commission, who is also a former Nigerian Athletics International, disclosed that a high-level delegation from World Athletics will be present at the race.

The world body’s officials will be on ground to monitor proceeding to know if what is being done confirmed to the world’s best practices. This enables a quick approval process so that the event is upgraded to a label status even after the first edition.

We are very much hopeful that the Premium Trust Bank Abuja City International Half Marathon will break the record as one of the few races across the world that was given label status after the first edition.

“This requires great work to be done, and it is something we know how to do best. Abuja has some of the fastest routes in the world. We will deploy spy cameras to monitor against cheating, all the runners will have their names branded on the running bibs, while all the runners will be chipped.

“We are going to put in place measures that are found in international marathons across the world. If we can do this, I strongly believe that the Premium Trust Bank Abuja City International Half Marathon is on the verge of making history by getting a label status after its very first edition. This is a rare opportunity, and we are sure of getting it done,” Ali said.