12th December, 2012
Lagos State government has been enjoined to encourage sporting activities amongst schools in the state.
The Commissioner for the Environment, Hon Tunji Bello made the call at the 17th Annual Inter-House Sports Competition of Herbert Macaulay Junior High School, Okobaba, Ebute Metta in Lagos, on Wednesday.
Bello who was represented by Prince Suleiman Oloko said “Lagos state would continue to promote sporting events with a view to keeping our teeming youths busy”. He said: “sports is a veritable factor that keeps our youths off crime, and criminal tendencies, adding that “an idle mind is the devil’s workshop”.
Bello urged head of schools to entrench the culture of sporting activities amongst their students, “as all work and no play slows down students knowledge acquisition”. Speaking at the event, the Teacher-General and Permanent Secretary, Education District IV, Sabo, Yaba, Otunba Ayobade Obajimi said that school inter-house sports is “a laudable programme, which should be encouraged” Otunba Ayobade spoke through his representative, Mr Rilwan Obajimi.
He described inter-house sports as “an avenue to discover talents” stressing that “it is good for students outside normal class work”.Also speaking at the occasion, the Principal of the school, Mrs. Folashade Moronkeji applauded the policy of Lagos State which made it mandatory for schools to organise inter-house sports annually.She lauded the initiative of the Teacher-General for identifying sports as a critical factor for building students capacity.
Speaking in a similar vein, the Vice Principal who was also Chairman of the Sports Committee, Mrs. Yetunde Ogunsulire urged the state government to provide sporting equipments for schools.She maintained that “sports is a unifying factor” that is “capable of removing cultural barriers”.Orange House, which has been renamed Professor Ibiyemi Tunji Bello House emerged the overall winner of the keenly contested competition. It was closely followed by Red and Blue Houses respectively.