Odebiyi Revives School Sports in Ogun West
Olubunmi Omoogun writes about the steps being taken by Senator Tolu Odebiyi to develop school sports in his senatorial district, Ogun West
While Nigerians were nursing the pains of not watching the National soccer team, the Super Eagles at this year’s 2022 World Cup, the first ever winter edition of the competition hosted by the oil rich gulf country, Qatar, the Senator representing Ogun West Senatorial District, Tolu Odebiyi has looked inward to develop our sports from the grassroots to ensure that Nigeria does not miss out in the next world cup to be held across three host countries – America, Canada and Mexico in 2026.
As part of his determination and undying passion to dutifully deliver the dividends of democracy in several areas and on multiple fronts, the Senator who is already looking ahead, has facilitated the construction and equipping of mini sports centre to help improve grassroots sports development in his community and by extension Ogun State and Nigeria.
The mini sports centre, situated in Yewa (Egbado) College, Ilaro, Ogun State will serve as a centre for promoting sporting and recreational activities among the Constituents, is a state of the art sport complex, among other facilities, has a standard football field, basketball court, etc.
This is another confirmation of the tremendous contributions of the Senator to the all-round development of Yewa (Egbado) College facilities and Infrastructure, being the Senator representing Ogun West Senatorial District.
This effort has also solved the huge challenge of degradation in facilities and infrastructure at the school.
Odebiyi noted that he will continue to help young people develop their talents and improve recreational activities all across his Senatorial District.
While urging all sports stakeholders and governments at sub-national level to come up with similar model in the drive towards returning Nigeria to its glory days in sports, Odebiyi believes that if the mini sports centre is properly utilised it will produce more strong, fast, skillful, disciplined and tactically sound home honed footballers and athletes such as Super Eagles former captains, NdukaUgbade, SegunOdegbami, Henry Nwosu, late Stephen Keshi and the exceptionally gifted RonkeAlabi. A student of Yewa (Egbado) College, Ilaro, who made a historic feat of winning a Gold medal in 3000meters at the World Secondary School Games in Paris, France in May 2022.
Alabi smashed the national record after posting an amazing time of 9mins 36secs beating the standing Nigeria National record of 9.41mins 28secs set since 1986.
The Ogun West Senator who is driven by the notion that Nigerian sports have always been anchored to the schools, appeals to all to channel their resources to helping our schools as the schools hold the key to Nigeria’s sport development.
As an erudite federal lawmaker, who wants the best for his people, feels that public schools should have functional facilities to enable students participate actively in sports.
He noted that with adequate sports facilities and infrastructure the students are bound to enjoy the best and most complete education possible.
Yewa (Egbado) College, Ilaro will also be looking to expand its stock of homegrown talents through these expanded school facilities provided by Odebiyi, will help the school discover even more young footballers and athletes like RonkeAlabi to feed our National teams with the raw materials from the grassroots.
-Omoogun writes from Abuja
