To celebrate her first 100 days in office, the Chairman of Ojo Local Government Area in Lagos State, Mrs. Titilola Rufai, has launched a Sports Fiesta aimed at strengthening unity and promoting youth engagement across the council.
She made this known during a novelty football match between Team Olojo FC and Team Osolu FC, which served as the official opening ceremony for the fiesta. Rufai explained that the initiative was designed to involve young people in constructive sporting activities and create a platform that encourages togetherness.
“The essence of the fiesta is to bring our youths together through various sports because an idle mind can easily drift into negative habits,” she said.
According to her, the events lined up for the fiesta include a football tournament beginning on Tuesday, as well as several indoor games such as Ludo, snooker, scrabble, table tennis, Ayo Olopon, draughts, and boxing. She added that the novelty match served only as the unveiling, while the full programme will begin on Nov. 25.
“This is the maiden edition in Ojo, and our goal is to discover new talents and future stars,” she noted. Rufai assured that the sports fiesta would be sustained throughout her administration for the development of young people in the area.
In his remarks, Mr. Ege Olusegun, representing Ojo Constituency 01 at the Lagos State House of Assembly, praised the initiative as a positive step for the council. He noted that the lineup of sports presents an opportunity for talented youths to showcase their skills both within and beyond the community.
Oba Abideen Adekanbi, the Osolu of Irewe Kingdom, also commended the programme, stating that the fiesta would encourage youths to focus on sports rather than social vices such as cultism, drug abuse, and crime. He described the event as a platform for self-discovery and empowerment.
Chief Ajao Obasa, the Akogun of Ojo land and representative of the Olojo of Ojo Kingdom, highlighted that the initiative would promote unity among young people in the council. He applauded the chairman for introducing the first-of-its-kind event since the creation of the local government.
The Chairman of the Local Organising Committee, Alhaji Moruf Adekunle, disclosed that the football tournament would run for four weeks, while the indoor games would take place over two days. He announced that the football winners would receive ₦500,000, the second-place team ₦300,000, and the third-place team ₦100,000, with attractive prizes also set aside for the indoor game winners.
The unveiling match ended without a goal, marking the beginning of what stakeholders described as a promising sports initiative for youths in Ojo.