Athletes of Lagos Model College, Kanki, Badagry, were thecynosure of all eyes as they took home most prizes in the final day of the 3rd Dr Ola-Oki Scrabble Championship in Badagry.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the three-day brainstorming activities had no fewer than 300 students from schools within Education District 5, Lagos State, who competed at Ola Oki Medical Centre, lbereko Badagry.
However, Lagos Model College Kanki, was adjudged the best schools in the tournament as it ended on Thursday, leading the others in the top five rating determined by the technical officers of Lagos State Scrabble Association.
The Model College students came second, fourth and fifth in the senior category, while the students of the college came first and second in the junior events.
Speaking with NAN, Nunayon Travih, an indigene of Badagry who represented the Special Adviser to the Governor on Sports, Deji Tinubu, said that the competition would be given more boost.
“This competition started as an individual sponsored competition, but the Lagos State Sports Commission has since taken over the tournament on the directive of the Governor.
“The next plan is to make it open so that more school sports competitions will be organised in the state to give the students a chance to exhibit their God-given talents.
The initiator and sponsor of the competition, Dr Olabodunrin Waheed Oki, praised the spirit of sportsmanship of the participants, adding that the partnership of the Lagos State government had changed the fortunes of the competition.
“I want to thank the Governor of Lagos State, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, for the state’s financial and logistics support. We are grateful because these have added value and glamour to the event.
“I am glad that outstanding athletes discovered in this competition will be joining the state camp for future national and international events to further groom and expose them.
“I believe that in the future we will have world champions coming out from Ola-Oki Scrabble Tournament,’’ he said.
NAN reports that Alabi Emmanuel of Lagos State Model College won the junior category after posting 12+1490 points and Azeez Akorede also of Model College got 10+1007 points to come second.
Anjolaoluwa Femi of Francis Xavier School came third with 9+861 points.
In the senior category, Albert Emmanuel of Ajara Grammar School with 12+1816 points came first, followed by Gazal Aishat of Lagos Model College with 10+686 points, while 9.5+1307 points gave Gnahon Michael of Ajara Senior Secondary School the third position.
Alabi Emmanuel and Albert Emmanuel were the Most Valuable Players (MVP) in the junior and senior categories.
Miss Grace Alao, who won the tournament in 2015 and 2016 was so impressed with the prizes giving out to various winners, saying that she wished the governor had been the one sponsoring the event when she was the champion.
Handsome prizes were given out to winners. Winners in both the junior and senior categories were given laptops, trophies, t-shirts and exercise books.
Second position winners got Techno DroiPad 70 with trophies, t-shirts and exercise books. Third placed winners got Scrabble Dictionaries, t-shirts and exercise books.
Fourth to tenth positions received school bags with exercise books, while all participants were given certificates of participation. (NAN)
