Family, Friends, Mentees Donate Sporting Facility to Awosika

Dike Onwuamaeze  

The Ibukun Awosika Sports Centre at the Methodist Girls’ High School (MGHS), Yaba was yesterday unveiled as a gift to the former Chairman of First Bank Nigeria, Mrs. Ibukun Awosika, by family, friends and mentees to honor her as she celebrated her 60th birthday.
Awosika, a renowned African entrepreneur, international leader, businesswoman, Chairman and Founder of the Chair Centre Group and author is an alumna of the MGHS.

This birthday gift, which also came as a surprise to the celebrant was inaugurated and unveiled yesterday.
The ‘Ibukun Awosika Sports Centre was a purposely built by her mentees and family for her alma mater, MGHS, in order to integrate sports into the lives of young girls and foster qualities such as optimism, leadership, resilience, dedication, commitment, teamwork, practice, respect among others.
As part of the gift, a 12-month mentoring programme for 30 girls at the MGHS was also announced and it would kick off in 2023.

An Executive Coach and Leadership Expert, Mr. Fela Durotoye, who delivered the keynote address during the event, said: “We are grateful for the depth of Awosika’s wisdom. I am delighted that we are flagging off the commissioning of this beautiful sports centre with a relay race, which symbolises how Awosika has prepared the next generation for a greater run. I am also proud of the women she has mentored.

“Awosika has been fruitful and has empowered the next generation. We can’t but express our gratitude for the gift of Awosika to our generation.”
Also, the Managing Director of What’s On Media, Ms. Chichi Nwoko, said: “It’s a privilege to be celebrating Mrs. Awosika today.  To honour her as she marks her 60th birthday, we – her family, friends and mentees decided to join resources as a group and we have successfully used the resources to build a sports centre at the Methodist Girls High School, Yaba, in her name.

“Just like Awosika who was also an athlete as a student at MGHS, we believe that this initiative will enable young girls to build confidence and the spirit of sportsmanship to lead the future generation. We are truly delighted to honour her life and her positive contributions to the communities around her through the gift of impact.”
Awosika, in appreciation of the special gift said: “I am beyond enthralled that my friends, family and mentees who know how much my alma mater means to me went all out to give in my name, this is the ultimate honour. I also appreciate my sisters for always being there for me.
“All I ever wanted was to live a fulfilling life and make it easier for the next generation to walk through the path that I walked and do greater things than I have done. I am grateful for passing through this school which taught me a lot of things and for the relationships I built here.
“I am in awe of this gift and I am making a commitment to ensure that I make available whatever is required to keep this facility running for the future generation.”

Among her mentees who were in attendance to celebrate her 60th birthday and contributed to the project were many who had participated in some of her leadership development programme such as the International Women’s Leadership Conference (IWLC) in Dubai, the 360 Leadership Mentorship Program and the Life Series program which has been run severally in Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, the United Kingdom, the Caribbean Islands of the Bahamas and virtually across the world.