FirstBank has expressed determination to leverage sports to drive education, empowerment, and leadership development.
The bank’s Group Head, Marketing and Corporate Communications Olayinka Ijabiyi has stated this following the conclusion of FirstBank’s sponsored ChessMasters 2026 tournament.
He commended the organizers, expressing the bank’s commitment to support the development of talents.
‘Our sponsorship of ChessMasters 2026 reflects our commitment to building talents and communities, driving inclusion, and deepening engagement through our First@Sports initiative, a platform that celebrates talent and promotes social impact through sports.
‘With over a century of supporting legacy sports in Nigeria, we are proud of our enduring partnerships – 105 years with the Georgian Cup, 65 years with the Lagos Amateur Golf Championship and 35 years with the Dala Hard Court Tennis Championship,’ he said.
Ijabiyi underscored the potential of chess, saying it helps school-age children challenge themselves, think critically, and compete at the highest level.
‘We saw the tournament as a launch pad for a pan-African movement leveraging chess as a tool for education, empowerment, and leadership development. We are utilising this platform as another avenue to promote social impact and drive positive change in the community,’ he said.
Indian Language School emerged as the winner of the tournament, earning N5m out of the total prize pool of N10 million.
The tournament was organised by Eko Hotels and Suites in conjunction with KEY Academy.