Nigerian financial institution Premium Trust Bank has made two of the country’s star athletes, Tobi Amusan and Ese Brume, its brand ambassadors.
Amusan in July broke the world record in women’s 100 metres hurdles with a new 12.12 seconds mark and won Nigeria’s first-ever World Athletics Championships individual gold medal, while Brume has consistently won medals at the World Athletics Championships and Olympic Games.
Both athletes also retained their Commonwealth Games titles at Birmingham 2022 in August and set new records.
Speaking at the presentation of the star athletes today in Lagos, sports minister Sunday Dare said Amusan and Brume are the future of Nigerian athletics.
He also called on corporate organisations and individuals not to wait until athletes are crowned champions before associating with them.
“These athletes never relent, always thrive, remain consistent in their performances,” the minister said.
“Even on the big stage, they knew they had it in them and they never stopped and when the time came, they showed up big time, they showed up for themselves, first having done the sacrifices, gone through the discipline. Because if you have talent and you don’t add discipline to it, you cannot excel.
“I want to thank Tobi for doing that job in Oregon, not just breaking the record, but breaking it twice on the same night. I am thanking you on behalf of this country Nigeria, we are grateful.
“Ese came third at the Olympics, but to us, it was a Golden Bronze, thank you because when you came to the Commonwealth Games, you did it again.”
The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the bank, Emmanuel Emefienim, said the major goal of the company is to support growth, and they decided to associate with the two athletes to drive towards enabling their growth.
“This should serve as motivation to other athletes who dare to be different and win no matter their background, obstacles they have been through to get to where they are today,” he said.
“The two athletes’ stories are just like the bank and I am happy with where we are today and we hope the partnerships bring great impact to the athletes, the sports industry and the country.”
The two athletes appreciated the bank for counting them worthy to be the brand ambassadors and promised to maintain their world-class standards.
