Nigeria Content Online

The Sprite Triple
Slam national championship drew to a close on Sunday in Lagos with
‘Street Maniacs’ from Calabar Zone emerging winners in a keenly
contested final.

In emerging
winners, the boys from Calabar took home the top prize of N6 million
and a recording contract for a basketball-themed music video.

Handing a cheque of
the amount to the winners before a huge crowd of cheering fans, Coca
Cola Nigeria Marketing Director, Austin Ufomba, confirmed that the
company will sponsor the team’s basketball-themed music video to spark
up more creativity.

Youth in their
hundreds from all parts of Lagos stormed the venue of the event to get
a feel of the action and also catch glimpses of upcoming music, dance
and basketball talents, as well as the celebrities that graced the
event.

Former Big Brother
Africa 2009 housemates also came from their respective countries across
the continent to see the talents and cheer their colleague – Kevin
Chuwang Pam, winner of the BBA 2009 who hosted the event.

Night of fun

Fun and excitement
were in good supply at the final, as eight teams representing Benin,
Owerri, Calabar, Kaduna, Ado-Ekiti, Ibadan, Lagos I and Lagos II
engaged in a contest of will and talent, with the youngsters displaying
their skill and dexterity in music, dance and basketball. Each team
comprised three basketball players, two dancers and a singer.

Such was the level
of talent displayed that the three judges, Eldee the Don, a music
producer, Michael Egbebor of DNMT dance group and Mobolaji Akiode, a
former basket player and one-time member of Nigeria’s Olympic team, had
a hard time deciding the best among the contestants. At the end of the
day, they settled for the ‘Maniacs’ whose display of energy,
creativity, originality, attitude, spontaneity, set them apart from the
rest.

The Sprite Triple
Slam lived up to its billings. With MI and Wande Coal, two of Nigeria’s
finest hip hop stars and leading disc jockey, Jimmy Jatt, thrilling
spectators at the event.

Reacting to their
victory, the ‘Maniacs’ said: “Sprite Triple Slam gave us the platform
to display our talents for the world to see. Sprite surprised us when
they came to our neighbourhood in Calabar. We are ordinary boys who
love to play for fun. Now Sprite motivated us with N6 million. It is
just too much. We are going to use the money to better our education,
provide for our families.

Sprite Triple Slam has automatically created a career platform for us.”