The press conference kicked off at 10:30 A.M with the recognition of dignitaries and special guests. There was adequate representation of PwC Representatives, Top Officials from Lagos State – Ministry of Education, Sports Commission, Chess Association and Nigeria Chess Federation.
The Press Conference reiterates further that PwC is Committed to solving important problems in the society, in particular, the continuation of the Chess4Change initiative; which aims at adding value and changing lives of underserved secondary schools students in Lagos State through the game of Chess.
Attendance
Dignitaries in attendance were:
- Mr Pedro Omontuemhen – Country Operations Partner, PwC
- Mrs Delia Asuzu – Senior Manager, Marketing and Communications, PwC
- Mr Lekan Adeyemi – President, Nigerian Chess Federation & Vice-President World Chess Federation
- Mrs B.T. Agagu (Represented) – Director, Co-Curricular Services, Ministry of Education, Lagos State
- Dr Kayode Micheal – Representing the Chairman of the Lagos State Sports Commission)
- Dr Oluyomi Oluwasanmi – Director, School Sports Directorate
- Mr Tokunbo Fagun – Chairman Lagos State Chess Association
- Mr Jimmy Sogbesan – Executive Director, MediaVision Limited
- Mr Daniel Anwuli – International Chess Master & Highest FIDE rated Nigerian Player
- Chess Facilitators
- District Officer
- Principals
- Students
- Games Masters
- Pressmen
Highlights of 5th Edition & 6th Edition Preview
The press conference started out with a welcome address by Adenike Abiola, Group Head Projects & HR, Mediavision Limited where she recognised the dignitaries in attendance and called on members of the high table.
She then moved on to present the highlights of the 5th Edition of the PwC Chess4Change. She showcased the results of the academic monitoring and evaluation process which involves the comparison of student grades before and after their involvement in the Chess4Change program. As always, the data inferred that students showed significant improvement in their Mathematics, Economics and Entrepreneurship grades with 71%, 33% and 75% of students recording improvements in those subjects respectively.
She also disclosed that 60% of male and 40% of female participants held leadership positions at their schools. She also recognised the champions of the last edition in the individual and school categories.
As regards the upcoming 6th Edition, she presented the new components that are to be infused into this year’s edition. This year, the top 2 Nigerian Chess Players; Jessica Pelomoh and Daniel Anwuli will be present at the mentorship sessions. Another new feature will be the addition of a short seminar at the grand slam event that focuses on alternative career possibilities in Chess apart from being a player. This seminar will be anchored by facilitators, arbiters and the Nigeria Chess Federation members.
The grand slam will also feature another trivial side contest in the form of a Blindfold chess competition. She also announced that PwC will be donating life-sized chess boards to the top three schools in order to encourage as many passive students as possible to interact with chess and potentially trigger their passion to take up playing. She also announced the proposed calendar detailing the proposed dates for the mentorship sessions and the grand slam.
Adenike went on to introduce and tell the story of Jessica Pelomoh, a past champion of the 2014 PwC Chess4Change competition who is now the number one rated Nigerian Female chess player. She urged students to continue to chase their chess dreams beyond the PwC Chess4Change competition.
Event Recap
My Chess Journey – Daniel Anwuli
International Chess Master and holder of the record for the highest FIDE rating by a Nigerian of all time; Daniel Anwuli was the second speaker of the day and held a short but very inspirational session with the students where he shared his story and journey in the world of chess.
He charged students to always take defeat as a learning experience and an opportunity to improve and advised them to always seek out challenges that may seem difficult or impossible. He said constant practice and dedication can dramatically elevate the skill of anyone in any field and that extra hard work and preparation can sometimes level the playing field when facing more talented individuals.
Daniel ended his speech by commending the effort of MediaVision Limited to get him to the event and advising students to seize the opportunity being provided to them through the Chess4Change program. He also reminded the students that there are other paths to follow in the game of chess apart from that of being a player and advised them to not let their dreams be limited by their environments.
Welcome Remarks – Jimmy Sogbesan
The COO of Mediavision Limited began his remark by thanking PwC for its Investment in the children. He commended them for sticking to their original vision of targeting students of underserved communities in close proximity to it.
He went on to thank all stakeholders and recognised that their efforts come from a place of passion and care for the children. He ended his session by encouraging the students to always be resilient, referencing Daniel’s story as an example.
Dr Kayode Micheal (Representing the Chairman of the Lagos State Sports Commission)
He began by asserting the Asserted the impact of chess on Memory, Focus and Problem Solving and ended by expressing his hopes for government support and expansion at the national level in the future.
Mr Tokunbo Fagun
He started by Commending PwC on their noble initiative. He Iterated the therapeutic effect of chess on memory loss and Dementia. He pressed for the expansion of the competition by the sponsors.
Mr Lekan Adeyemi
He charged the students to always challenge themselves in order to improve. He informed students of the opportunities chess could provide. He then ended his speech by pledging the donation of #100,000 naira worth of chess materials for the competition.
Mr Pedro Omontuemhen
The country operations partner, PwC Nigeria announced that the firm will be taking a very active role in the mentorship program where PwC staff will volunteer hours to coaching and counselling students on various important life lessons.
Mr Pedro committed to expanding the tournament and possibly adding a promotion/ relegation system as a feature of the competition. He concluded by promising that for the 6th edition; both the male and female Champions will be sponsored out of the country for international competitions.
Fela is the Co-founder of MediaVision Limited .
