Government College wins Femi Gbajabiamila U-16 Football tournament

…carts home golden trophy, cash prize, scale up opportunities

Stakeholders and major political actors in Lagos State have affirmed the importance of restoring competitive sports back to schools as the Government College, Eric Moore, emerged winner of the Femi Gbajabiamila U-16 Football Competition in Surulere, Lagos.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos, whose remark was delivered by Lagos State Commissioner for the Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Mr. Mobolaji Ogunlende , commended the organisers, while also wishing the students success in all their endeavours.

Adding that the government was committed to promoting young talents.

He commended Gbajabiamila for his unwavering commitment to youth development and his belief in the transformative power of sports as a tool for societal advancement.

“As a government, we are deeply committed to nurturing the potential of our youths. This competition aligns with our goal of promoting education with sports and youth engagement,” Sanwo-Olu said.

Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, in a pre-recorded message played, appreciated and commended Elliott for putting the tournament together, and the players for their participation.

The chief of staff, who noted that he had been following the matches and display of skills, said the nature of his job didn’t allow him to participate physically.

Gbajabiamila, a former Speaker, House of Representatives, said: “We have discovered a lot of talents from the blow of the first whistle in this tournament. We are going to have more talents.

“I congratulate the winners and the runner up. Surulere means so much to me. Say no to drug abuse, be conscious of the environment and make sure you take your education very serious. Education is very important.”

It would be recalled that the third-term member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Desmond Elliott launched the month-long tournament for Secondary Schools in Surulere on Oct. 24, in honour of the Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.

Elliott, representing Surulere Constituency I, who powered the competition, said that 16 school teams competed in the tournament.

Also, Elliott said that the competition was designed to support the well-being and engagement of students despite socio-economic challenges.

Elliott, a Nollywood actor turned politician, noted that two outstanding players had been linked to 1471 football club in Surulere, said that by 2025 Surulere would have a full football league.

The lawmaker, who noted that the tournament had enabled discovery of so many talents, added that it had also engaged students on the dangers of drug abuse, cyber crimes, cultism, bullying and inter-school fights.

“Time is now for us to begin to engage our youngsters. They are the future of tomorrow. We cannot leave everything entirely up to government.

The Director General, Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC), Mr Lekan Fatodu, who described the event as “really fantastic and remarkable, thanked Gbajabiamila and Elliott for intervening in sport development.

“This is a tactical and strategic way of diverting the attention of our young people away from wrongdoings. So, this is an opportunity to actually unleash the inherent potential in our young people

.

“There’s no better way, or better avenue, to catch them young, to get the best talent out, than in schools and various communities,” Fatodu said.

According to him, from the preliminaries to the final stage, the commission has been able to identify about 35 exceptional players who actually have the potential of getting to the highest level of their football career.

Also speaking, Hon Fuad Laguda the member, representing Surulere Federal Constituency I in the House of Representatives, described the tournament as an ‘epic one’, while stressing the need to keep engaging the youth.

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One of the lead sponsors of the tournament, Mr. Afolabi Aiyela, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Welbeck Electricity Distribution Limited the largest Independent Power Producers in Nigeria, who described the competition as an excellent idea, said the firm was committed to bridging education and sports.

“We are a friend of the state. It’s very good to encourage the youth. We need to do more things like this. And we need more participation from the private sector.

“We feel very strongly about education of our future leaders. So as part of that commitment, and as a partner to Lagos state, we’ve carried out installation of solar panels and battery for some of the schools inside Lagos State.

“Our newest project, our newest CSR project has been to install street lights, solar street lights under the stadium bridge.

“So, as you’re leaving here now, as it’s getting dark, you’ll see that under stadium bridge, there are now solar street lights, something that doesn’t have to be maintained. And it’s part of our CSR.

“We really have to commend the government. Because if there wasn’t the enabling environment that allows us to produce electricity to sell, to generate income, we wouldn’t have money to do any kind of CSR project.

“We’re very happy to support, we’re just one IPP company, one company in one sector producing electricity. There are many more like us. There are many more in other sectors. So, I definitely encourage more events like this.

The Government College team trounced Iponri High School team 3-0 to cart home the golden trophy and a handsome cash prize.

The finals played at the Abati Barracks Mini Stadium, Surulere, recorded a massive turnout of students and sports enthusiasts from various schools and field of endeavours within the local government.

Team Government College, Eric Moore dominated the entire regulated time, scoring two fantastic goals in the first half and one goal in the second to defeat their opponent in the final match of the tournament.

In the third-place match, Obele Community High School team defeated Zumratul Islamiyah High School 5-4 in a penalty shoot out, after being held in a goalless draw in the regulated time.

Tope Omisanya, the Coach of the triumphant Team Government College, said that the victory was not a surprise as the school had been on a winning streak even outside the state overtime.

Bisiriyu Ganiu, the Coach of Team Iponri High School, said, “Nothing went wrong. With our side, we lost to a better tactical team. Their tactics and cohesion are more than our own.”

The coaches and players however, advocated for the organization more competitions to engage the youths and bring out the best in them.

The organisers presented cash prizes, dummy cheques of N500,000, N300,000 and N200,000 to the winner, first and second runner up respectively.

Other dignitaries who were at the stadium to witness the epoch-making event are; Senator Wasiu Sanni-Eshinlokun Member of the Nigerian Senate representing Lagos Central Senatorial District, Hon Babajimi Benson Ikorodu Federal Constituency.

Others are members of the Lagos State House of Assembly namely; Hon. Lanre Afinni, Hon Temitope Adewale (Ifako-Ijaiye 1), Hon.Rauf Age-Sulaimon (Amuwo-Odofin 2), Hon.Bonu Solomon (Badagry 1), and Hon. Yinka Esho (Mushin 2).