Government College, Eric Moore on Sunday thrashed Iponri High School 3-0 to emerge winners of the Femi Gbajabiamila U-16 Football Competition, in Surulere, Lagos.
By Adeyemi Adeleye
Government College, Eric Moore on Sunday thrashed Iponri High School 3-0 to emerge winners of the Femi Gbajabiamila U-16 Football Competition, in Surulere, Lagos.
The final match played at the Mini Stadium, in Abati Barracks, Surulere, was witnessed by a huge crowd, mostly students from various schools in Surulere and its environs.
Government College dominated the entire regulated time, scoring two goals in the first half and one goal in the second to defeat their Iponri counterparts.
In the third-place match, Obele Community High School defeated Zumratul Islamiyyah High School 5-0 in a penalty shootout, after a goalless draw in the regulated time.
Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, represented by the state’s Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mr Mobolaji Ogunlende, said that the government was committed to promoting young talents.
The governor commended the Chief of
Staff to the President, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, for his unwavering commitment to youth development and 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.
Gbajabiamila, in a pre-recorded message, appreciated and commended a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr Desmond Elliott, for putting the tournament together. He also commended 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.
“We have discovered a lot of talents from the first blow of the whistle.
“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 seriously. Education is very important,” he said.
Also, Elliott, said that the competition was designed to support the well-being and engagement of students despite socio-economic challenges.
Elliott, representing Surulere Constituency I, said that by 2025 Surulere would have a full football league.
The lawmaker noted that the tournament had enabled the discovery of so many talents, adding 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 the government.
The Director General, Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC), Mr Lekan Fatodu, described the tournament as “really fantastic and remarkable. he thanked Gbajabiamila and Elliott for intervening in sports 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 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 have the potential of getting to the highest level of their football career.
One of the lead sponsors of the tournament, Mr Afolabi Aiyela, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Welbeck Electricity Distribution Limited, described the competition as an excellent idea. He said Welbeck was committed to bridging education and sports.
“We are a friend of the state. It’s good to encourage the youth. We need to do more of things like this. And we need more participation from the private sector, ” Aiyela said.
Tope Omisanya, the coach of Government College, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the victory was not surprising as the school had been winning football competitions even outside the state.
On the other hand, Bisiriyu Ganiu, the coach of Iponri High School, admitted that his team lost to a better side.
“Nothing went wrong with our side. We lost to a better tactical team. Their tactics and cohesion were more than our own,” he said.
The coaches and players who spoke to NAN in separate interviews called for more competitions to engage the youths.
Government College received N500,000 as the winner while second-placed Iponri High School and third-placed Obele Community High School received N300,000 and N200,000, respectively. 16 schools competed in the tournament. (NAN)
