Rewarding Excellence

FirstBank and Linda Ikeji TV Conclude the Second Season of First Class Material Docu-series, Ugo Aliogo writes

The need to recognise and celebrate outstanding individuals in various fields of human endeavour is not an activity that is reserved for only government alone.

In recent times, corporate organisations have taken a cue from government to embark on such efforts as part of its contribution to the task of nation building. Most brands understand the fact that investments in nation building must not be centered around politics, but efforts geared towards rewarding industry and excellence are vital for growth and promoting societal common good.

It is in the light of this that FirstBank yet again partners Linda Ikeji TV in the second season of its initiative known as First Class Material which is a documentary series aimed at promoting and celebrating youth who have excelled in various fields of academic or non-academic pursuits as they contribute to national economy.

The documentary series which showcases the accomplishments of Nigerians in different fields of endeavour is critical to inspiring the next generation of creators and innovators.

All over the world, Nigerians are accomplishing great feats in different sectors of the economy, but not much information about these phenomenal attainments are in the public domain.

Linda Ikeji TV, (LITV) a prime production and Broadcasting Company in Nigeria is partnering with FirstBank, a premier financial institution in Africa for the production and broadcast of the second season of First-Class Material.

The innovative partnership has – since its inaugural season- spotlighted exploits of Nigerians in the Arts, Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Medicine, Politics, Academia etc which have served as a beacon of inspiration to young people on career pathways, irrespective of their chosen endeavour.

Following the successful production and broadcast of the first season of the docuseries, the recently concluded second season debuted in August 2021 with its impact being a monumental pathway to inspiring many individuals.

Sports has always been a part of every society both past and present and it has remained a fundamental activity in the life of mankind from time immemorial. Both children and adults engage in sporting activities, whether for recreation or at a professional level. The study of the history of sports can teach lessons about social changes and the nature of sports itself. Sports is involved in the development of basic human skills, there are so many examples of sports such as basketball, volleyball, swimming, soccer, badminton and lawn tennis popularly known as Tennis. Tennis is ranked as the seventh highest paid sports in the world according to Forbes.

In the season 2 edition, one of the candidates was a teenage tennis sporting sensation known as MaryLove Edward. Edwards is a fast rising player in tennis in Nigeria. The 16-year old Edo State star has begun on a bright note making a name for herself in the sports by winning major junior tournaments such as CBN Open, NNPC, Shell, Chevron and others.

Although tennis in Nigeria is not half as big or popular as football, Edwards fell in love with the sport at a very young age. She is trained by her dad, a similar path Serena and Venus Williams took with their father.

Marylove’s father constantly motivates her, highlighting the benefits of playing and excelling in tennis. Both father and daughter have been working towards that goal. Edwards started playing tennis from the age of four.

Edward stated that “I am currently ranked number 1 in Nigeria, I started playing tennis at the age of four. My father introduced me to tennis at a young age and I also watched on video clips and fell in love with the game. At age four, I was basically working on my fitness level, so jogged after school. I have participated in numerous competitions, such International Tennis Federations (ITF), some are J4 and J5, and it was done outside Nigeria. In the next 10years, I hope to be among the top 20 tennis players in the world in the Women Tennis Association (WTA). I also hope to play grand slam tournaments and win some top championships across the globe. What I love most about playing tennis is that you get to travel around the world and meet new people, then the competitiveness that comes with it. My greatest moment on the tennis court will probably be when I won my first ITF.”

At the end of the season two edition, Dr. Olusola Saheed Ayola, emerged the winner. Ayola is the Chief Executive Officer, Robotics and Artificial Intelligence in Nigeria (RAIN).

Dr. Ayola said the first invitation to feature on the programme came to him as a surprise considering the fact that RAIN is in Ibadan and normally people aren’t interested in what is happening in Ibadan unlike Lagos, adding that he is very excited by the fact that he was discovered by Linda Ikeji media as it will add value to driving awareness of their work which he described as unique in Nigeria and the first of its kind in West Africa, “we are honored to receive such recognition.”

He also noted that as at last year Linda Ikeji media received a documentary on what they have been doing, how far they have gone. He noted that it is been awesome especially since the documentary went viral and has gotten many people to see what they are doing here in the country.

He stated that: “The competition was interesting in the sense that it required some level of social media activeness which I am not used to as someone who is mostly in the laboratory. But with the political connections I had from my undergraduate days in University of Ibadan and my students from lecturing in the university. With Rain being a successful venture which has impacted a lot of people both home and ýabroad. So when I share it on WhatsApp groups and on my Facebook page, everyone swung into action because they felt the prize was mine to win. The level of support I got from the university of Ibadan alumni community, friends and well-wishers towards RAIN was massive.

“What FirstBank and Linda Ikeji are doing to promote the value of hard work is phenomenal, considering the fact that in Nigeria today most people think about getting rich quick. But with this partnership, they are bringing value to hard work whereby it is not just enough to be rich but there is a need to contribute to the society whether it is remembering the needs of the privilege or helping the country attain some technological advancements worth recognising. This initiative has helped our business grow as more people know about our work and we get value on investment. So the partnership by FirstBank and Linda Ikeji is a massive hit.

“On the aspect of hardwork, we have seen that Nigerian youths really wants to add value but don’t have the technical capacity, good quality education and knowledge because the county’s educational system is mostly theoretical. For instance we have people saying they learned computer science in school but don’t know any coding language at all, so how are we going to have the next Facebook or Paystack from this nation. So what we are trying to do is to add some level of practicality by teaching the youths and making them practice it with the belief that whatever we teach them, they also pass the knowledge to other people and with this we are gradually creating a system of knowledge transfer that is practical. Those who have seen what we are doing at RAIN have an experience of what a normal educational environment should look like and that is the beauty of what we are doing and hopefully it goes viral and more people can be impacted.

“I won N1million and with the money we are putting it in a fund for a research called BAVI which means Banking Aid for the Visual Impaired. Since FirstBank is sponsoring the competition, we talked ourselves how do the blind use their banking app? How can they transfer or even know what the bank alert they receive is all about with seeking assistance from people. So we want to create a solution that will help the visually impaired to access their bank account confidentially without having to divulge their information to anybody.

Speaking on the TV show, Folake Ani-Mumuney, GH, Marketing and Corporate Communications, First Bank of Nigeria Limited said: “Spotlighting First Class Material is in line with FirstBank’s commitment to enable and empower Nigerians to contribute to societal development and create positive impact. Like the first season which showcased exceptional individuals, its second season delivered as expected as it was inspiring to shae truly inspiring stories of great feats and accomplishments by some of the most unassuming of Nigerians, in the country and dotted around the world.

Our goal is to inspire our youth and encourage them make informed choices, critical to securing their future whilst impacting mankind and society at large.”

Also speaking, the Chief Executive Officer of the Linda Ikeji Media group, Linda Ikeji said, “the onus is on us to tell our own story and redefine the narrative. Nigeria is a great nation with amazing human capital accomplishing great exploits across the world. This partnership with FirstBank creates an excellent platform to showcase Nigeria to the world, as the extraordinary people that we truly are.”