Dolphins Female Basketball Team held a memorial match in honour of the late Chairman of Punch Nigeria Limited, Mr. Gbadebowale Aboderin.
PunchMetro reports that the late Aboderin was the founder of the basketball club.
The company’s Chairman, Angela Emuwa, daughter of the deceased, Nicole Aboderin, and other stakeholders were present for the match, marking the anniversary of his death.
Celebrating the late chairman, a five-year-old member of the Dolphins basketball team, Hannah Akinisola said, ‘It’s an outstanding achievement for me to be here. I have been with dolphins for over five years. I am popularly called ‘Alero by my Dolphin chairman; he’s so fantastic, and I never regret being a part of Dolphin member.”
Another member of the basketball team, Ochuko Owolabi, said, ”There’s nobody I would say, that he has not touched one way or the other, he has been my friend, he has been a father, he has been a mentor, and has been everything to me, and I am thrilled that soo many fans of basketball, Dolphins and the late chairman decided to support us.”
Reacting, the daughter of the deceased, Nicole Aboderin, noted, ”It is just a testament, the impact that he had while he was alive, it’s not very often that people believe in women in this country especially, it’s not very often that people do something to want to improve women, and that was my dad’s personal goal, and you could see that everyone coming out playing basketball, that was his tool, that was his passion, that was what he wanted to do.
“To see everybody come out, it’s always mixed with sadness and with pride because he made such an impact on all these women’s lives, and to tell the truth, I miss my dad; I wish we had more time with him, but the fact that he has this legacy is a huge one for me’.’
Mrs Emuwa, the late chairman’s sister, appreciated the gesture made by the team, the organisers and representatives of the International Basketball Federation.
”I am so happy and excited to see so many people here, so happy to see the basketball community represented, and most of all, I was so happy when the Dolphins members called me that they were planning this, because it was a very good initiative and also because he’s my brother, the founder of the Dolphins basketball club, because they were very dear to him. I am so proud to see what is happening today, so I thank everyone that has come out to honour the memory of our dear father, brother, and founder,” she said.
