Government College emerges winner of Femi Gbajabiamila U-16 Football tourney
Team Government College, Eric Moore, in a dominant display of tactical skills, on Sunday thrashed Team Iponri High School 3-0 to emerge winner of the Femi Gbajabiamila U-16 Football Competition in Surulere, Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that a third-term member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr Desmond Elliott launched the tournament for Secondary Schools in Surulere on Oct. 24, in honour of the Chief of State to the President, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila.
Elliott, representing Surulere Constituency I, who powered the competition, said that 16 school teams competed in the tournament.
The finals played at the Mini Stadium, in Abati Barracks, Surulere, was witnessed by a huge crowd of students from various schools in the local government.
Team Government College, Eric Moore dominated the entire regulated time, scoring two fantastic goals in the first half and one goal on the second to defeat their opponent in the final.
In the third place match, Team Obele Community High School defeated Team Zumratul Islamiyyah High School 5-0 in a penalty shoot out, after a goalless draw in the regulated time.
Speaking, Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos, whose pre-recorded remark was played to the audience, commended the organisers, while also wishing the students success in all their endeavours.
Sanwo-Olu, who was also represented at the event by the Lagos State Commissioner for the Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Mr Mobolaji Ogunlende, said that the government was committed to promoting young talents.
He commended Gbajabiamila for his unwavering commitment to youth development and his 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.
Similarly, Gbajabiamila, in a pre-recorded message played, appreciated and commended Elliott for putting the tournament together, and 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 allowed him to participate physically.
Gbajabiamila, a former Speaker, House of Representatives, said: “We have discovered a lot of talents from the blow of the first whistle in this tournament. We are going to have more talents.
“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 serious. Education is very important.”
Also , Elliott said that the competition was designed to support the well-being and engagement of students despite socio-economic challenges.
Elliott, a Nollywood actor, who noted that two outstanding players had been linked to 1471 football club in Surulere, said that by 2025 Surulere would have a full football league.
The lawmaker, who noted that the tournament had enabled discovery of so many talents, that it had also engaged students on 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 government.
The Director General, Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC), Mr Lekan Fatodu, who described the event as “really fantastic and remarkable, thanked Gbajabiamila and Elliott for intervening in sport 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 actually 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 actually have the potential of getting to the highest level of their football career.
Also speaking, Rep. Fuad House member, representing Surulere Constituency I in the House of Representatives, who described the tournament as an ‘epic one’, stressed the need to keep engaging the youth.
One of the lead sponsors of the tournament, Mr Afolabi Aiyela, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Welbeck Electricity Distribution Limited, who described the competition as an excellent idea, said the firm was committed to bridging education and sports.
“We are a friend of the state. It’s very good to encourage the youth. We need to do more things like this. And we need more participation from the private sector, ” Aiyela said.
Speaking with NAN, Tope Omisanya, the Coach of the triumphant Team Government College, said that the victory was not a surprise as the school had been winning football competitions even outside the state.
Bisiriyu Ganiu, the Coach of Team Iponri High School, said, “Nothing went wrong.with our side, we lost to a better tactical team. Their tactics and cohesion is more than our own.”
The coaches and players who spoke to NAN in separate interviews called for more competitions to engage the youths.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the organisers presented dummy cheques of N500,000, N300,000 and N200,000 to the winner, first and second runner up respective, as cash prizes.
