Lagos Will Shock ’Em At Sports Festival —Fashola
Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola has declared that Team Lagos will shock other states of the federation in next year’s National Sports Festival in Port Harcourt, River State.
The governor, who was the Special Guest of Honour at the 16th Monthly Saturday show of the Lagos Boxing Hall of Fame held at the Mobolaji Johnson Sports Complex, Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria on Boxing Day, declared that the performance of the pugilists at the 2nd Governor’s Belt Tournament, showed that Lagos State’s boxers would be a team to beat at the National Sports Festival next year.
Fashola noted that the interagency collaboration to develop sports at the grassroots is yielding good fruits for Lagos. “I’m proud to say that we are not going to win at all costs at the Sports Festival next year, but we are going to Port Harcourt to show Nigerians that Lagos State is the best in terms of featuring young and budding athletes in national competitions, where others poach and buy athletes to win laurels,†said Fashola.
Governor Fashola revealed that he had met with the state’s Sports Commissioner, Prince Adeniji Adele, Senior Special Assistant on Grassroots Sports Development to the Governor, Prince Wale Oladunjoye and the Chairman of the state’s Sports Council, Agboola Dabiri, where he directed them to bring out a blueprint of Team Lagos’s preparation for the Sports Festival for his approval.
“I’ve told them to bring a comprehensive plan for the preparation which includes camping and motivation package for the athletes for the state to begin a purposeful build up for the Sports Festival. I want Team Lagos to stand out and I’m glad that at the Lagos Boxing Hall of Fame this year, we have talents that we can conveniently feature at the Sports Festival,†he said.
Prince Oladunjoye said that the success of the 2nd Governor’s Belt was a result of a painstaking planning, adding that Lagos is ready to reclaim its lost glory in the Sports Festival.
Meanwhile, Taiwo Agbaje was declared winner of the 2nd Governor’s Belt. The boxer was adjudged winner of the ultimate prize after his gallantry display on the ring to the delight of the guests who included Governor Fashola, Prince Adele, Prince Oladunjoye, Dabiri and the chairman of the Hall of Fame, Wale Edun.
Agbaje, who represented Nigeria at the Junior Olympics and the Commonwealth Games in India in October this year, beat Sikiru Ojo, an Algiers 2007 All Africa Games boxer.
Record shows that Agbaje has been representing Lagos State in the past four editions of the National Sports Festival.
Other boxers who fought at the one-day tourney were Fijabi Olaide, who beat a rookie from Oshodi, Christian Abua in the 64kg category; Olanrewaju Durodola, who defeated Idris Sanni in the 94kg; Ibrahim Owoiya, who stopped Segun Ibrahim in the 75kg and Taiwo Oyegunwa, who defeated Awolusi in the 69kg.
In the female bout, Teni Are, a KADA 2009 gold medalist, was too much for Oluchi Ochoma in the 75kg, while Mary Abbey beat Mutiat Adebayo.
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