Banker set to run for Nigeria

By Onochie Anibeze reporting from London
An employee of Diamond Bank Plc, Esther Obiekwe, has become the first ever Nigerian woman to represent the country at the marathon event of an Olympic Games following her nomination by the Athletic Federation of Nigeria to compete at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The marathon event will take place in London on August 5, 2012.

This was made known to newsmen in Lagos during a reception held at Diamond Bank Plc’s corporate Head Office, where Esther Obiekwe presented her nomination certificate to the Board and Management of the Bank shortly before her departure for London.

The athlete also received a return ticket to London courtesy of the bank.
Obiekwe who works in the bank’s Corporate Banking division said, “Although I am not a full time athlete due to my work schedule as a banker, I have participated in some of the world’s top marathons including Athens, Berlin, Boston, Dubai and now the Olympic Games.

“Out of these, only the Boston and the Olympics require one to run a competitive time in a previous marathon to qualify. I qualified for both and have been selected to represent Nigeria in the Olympics.

This means I will run the marathon on August 5 in London as a part of the Nigeria Olympic team. I see this act alone as a victory.”

Speaking at the reception, Uzoma Dozie, Executive Director, Diamond Bank, expressed the bank’s support for the athlete and sports ambassador.

He said, “We believe this is a wonderful opportunity to showcase not only the people of Diamond Bank and our brand, but also the Nigerian people as a whole. Esther portrays the ‘best people’ element of our vision as a bank, exhibiting resilience, determination and originality which are core qualities of the average Nigerian”.

“We are behind Esther’s every step of the race. We want to celebrate her because she demonstrates the new spirit at Diamond Bank. She’s indeed an ambassador whom everyone will love to emulate,” Dozie said.

Posted: at 30-07-2012 10:36 PM (11 years ago) | Upcoming

 
 
 

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Posted: at 1-08-2012 07:12 PM (11 years ago) | Gistmaniac