By Ado Salisu
Rumfa College and Ahmadiyya College have emerged winners of this year’s Kano State finals of the Nestlé Milo Inter-Secondary Schools Basketball Championship.
The finals, which drew participation from over 110 secondary schools, were held at the Indoor Sports Hall of Sani Abacha Sports Complex, Kofar Mata, Kano.
The two teams are expected to represent Kano State at the Savannah Conference, where they will compete with teams from 12 states for qualification to the national finals scheduled to hold in Lagos.
At the national level, teams from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) will compete across four conferences in Kano, Asaba, Ibadan and Abuja, with winners advancing to the grand finale.
In the boys’ category, Rumfa College defeated Ahmadiyya College 36-8 points (5-4, 10-0, 10-0, 11-8), while Ahmadiyya College thrashed Army Day Secondary School, Bukavu 39-10 points (7-2, 6-4, 7-4, 19-0) in the girls’ category.
Speaking after the matches, the coach of Rumfa College, Umar Muhammad Bala Gandu, and his Ahmadiyya counterpart, Abubakar Rabilu Ammani, commended their players’ performance and urged them to sustain the momentum ahead of the Savannah Conference slated for May 6 to 13, 2026, in Kano.
In their remarks, the representative of the Nigeria School Sports Federation (NSSF), Rabiu Abdu Boss, and the Head of School Sports at the state Ministry of Education, Kabiru Shehu, expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the competition.
Shehu said the ministry had concluded plans to meet with the winning teams’ coaches to strategise for improved performance at the Savannah Conference and the national finals.
They commended the Kano State Government, the NSSF and sponsors, Nestlé Milo, for their continued support towards the development of basketball at the grassroots.
Highlights of the event included the presentation of trophies to the winning teams by the NSSF representative.
