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Access Bank Plc, the headline sponsor of the Lagos City Marathon, has explained that its support for marathon races and sporting events across Nigerian cities is geared towards improving the economic and social outlook of the host states.
With the 2020 edition of the Lagos City Marathon set to hold on February 8, Group Managing Director of the bank, Herbert Wigwe, has reiterated Access Bank’s commitment to sporting events to boost tourism and economic growth.
“As one of the leading banks in Nigeria and indeed Africa, it is imperative for us to support the economic and social development of the communities in which we operate,”, he said recently.
“We have sponsored the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon for five years to make Lagos State more attractive to tourists and foreign investors alike. We have also used this platform as an avenue to create more jobs and opportunities to thousands in the state,” he added.
He went further to state that, “to ensure that the impact of the marathon, as felt in Lagos State, is duplicated and sustained, we have also begun sponsoring marathons and other sporting events across different states in Nigeria as highlighted by our sponsorship of the Abeokuta marathon.”
With over 100,000 participants recorded across the last two editions of the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon, Wigwe said he expects the trend to continue as the marathon which has moved up from a Bronze Label marathon to a Silver Label, less than five years after its maiden edition, continues to garner the respect of top international and local athletes alike.
This year’s edition of the marathon offers a cumulative prize of $500,000 to be won by contestants.