2020 Access Bank Lagos City Marathon was more than a race – Wigwe
Herbert Wigwe, the Group Managing Director of Africa’s largest retail bank, Access Bank Plc., has revealed that the Bank’s sponsorship of the 2020 edition of the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon meant more than sponsoring athletics to the Bank.
This he said while addressing gentlemen of the press at the finishing point of Africa’s grandest marathon, which was held on Saturday, February 8.
Wigwe said, “In line with this year’s race theme, ‘More Than a Race’, the marathon represents the core of Access Bank’s journey to becoming Africa’s Gateway to the World with people running for various causes.”
“Our approach to advancing Nigeria’s blossoming drive for health and fitness, through the Access Bank Lagos City
Marathon, also reflects our capacity to always create value for stakeholders in the different segments of the society. We have made it our responsibility to encourage the general public in the adoption of a lifestyle that will promote good health and general well-being,” he added.
Leveraging on the platform of the marathon, Access Bank continued its effort to create widespread awareness on the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), carrying out sensitization and testing exercises at the week-long marathon expo and on the day of the race.
According to Wigwe, this activity is in line with Access Bank’s “commitment to continually impacting communities we serve through the elimination of environmental and economic issues, as well as investing in activities that have strong impact on the social structure of these communities.”
Speaking at the event, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-olu, expressed satisfaction with the race and pledged his administration support to boost sports and tourism.
“We want to put Lagos City Marathon on the global marathon calendar and we are on our way there. Very soon, it will become a marathon that athletes from every part of the world will come and join us. Today’s event is the beginning of our administration’s tourism agenda,” he said.
“We want Lagos to remain on the tourism master plan of athletes worldwide. We want the marathon to also become part of us because we all want to live a healthy life. We want it to be a work and play environment, we want to keep fit and we want to make healthy running a way of life for all of us so that we can reduce sicknesses amongst ourselves,” the governor said.
Kenya’s David Barsamai Tumo (2:10:23) and Cherop
Sharon Jemutai, emerged winner, winning $50,000 prize money each in the 42km race in male and female categories which ended at the Eko Atlantic City, Victoria Island Lagos.
Also, Debeko Dakamo from Ethiopia (2:10:55) and Paul Chege (2:1123), Kenya were second and third in the men’s category, while Kebene Urisa and Tanui Jekporir also finished second and third respectively in the women class. And they got $40,000 and $30,000 each respectively courtesy of Access Bank Plc.
Meanwhile, Emmanuel Gyan and Deborah Pam finished first in the men and women’s categories by Nigerians.
Other notable community impact activities embarked on by Access Bank in recent months includes the MalariaZero-initiative, partnering in the building of a technology hub for people living with disabilities in Lagos, among others.
This year, both male and female 42km runners compete for the grand prize of $50,000 while the second and third place winners will get $40,000 and $30,000 respectively. The prizes go all the way to the tenth positions. For the 10km race, the first male and female runners will drive home in brand new Kia Rio cars while the second and third place winners get N1,000,000 and N750,000 respectively. With mouth-watering prizes such as these, it is expected that all the participants will have the required motivation to reach the finish line.