Oyo: Ona-Ara holds maiden sporting festival to equip youths

THE Caretaker Committee Chairman of Ona-Ara Local Government in Oyo State, Hon. Aderemi Ogundele has inaugurated a maiden edition of sporting festival tagged: ‘Ona-Ara sports festival’ to equip youths in the area. 

The sporting festival which is a partnership with management of Ilaji Stadium and Resorts Centre was on Monday, officially addressed journalists at the unveiling of the tournament slated for March 17, 2018 at the Ilaji Stadium and Resorts Centre, Akanran.

The council boss while addressing newsmen noted that the Public, Private Partnership between the local council and management of the sporting complex is to model the initiative after the Governor Abiola Ajimobi administration.

He said: “may I crave your indulgence once more to state that the partnership between the public and private sectors being witnessed in this arrangement is a product of specific and unambiguous directive of His Excellency, Senator Abiola Ajimobi to the local government council to partner with the private sector be it individuals or corporate for purpose of participatory governance that is capable of eventually yielding benefits for the people.

” The mission of the sporting festival is to provide an avenue where youths are engaged in international standard sport programmes where attention is redirected from anti social activities to sports thereby promoting peace and unity in the society. It is also to make our youths more responsible and awaken to their roles as future leaders”.

The council boss also averred that the sporting festival will promote socio-economic activities of Ona-Ara people as “we expect a high inflow of people to the local council area”.

According to him, there are eight games slated for the sporting festival which include: football, basketball, volleyball,  table tennis, lawn tennis, handball, ayo olopon and athletics.

Speaking further, Ogundele also charged both private and public schools in the state to give priority to sports, adding that education has gone beyond mere academics as more people get their means of likelihood through sports and sports related jobs.

He, however called on public spirited, especially the sons and daughters of Ona- Ara Local Government to emulate the ingenuity creativity and philanthropic gesture of Engr. Sanusi, the owner of the sporting complex to bring development to the council.

Also speaking at the media parley, the Coordinator, Ilaji Stadium and Resorts Centre, Mr. Babatunde Olaniyi informed that the sports festival which will run from March 6th, 2018- March 23rd, 2018 was launched with the purpose of creating an event that will encourage communal unity as well as youth development.

The erstwhile Special Assistant  to the Oyo State Governor on Broadcast, Olaniyi stressed that the concept was to use the multi-sports festival to discover and develop talents and also to bring the best from the community to limelight.

“One of the objectives is to use the sporting complex as an avenue through which people can recreate and as a means of “escape route” from the hustle and bustle of the state capital, ibadan. Akanran being a suburb and agrarian town has a serene and non-polluted environment, hence, the guest rooms being constructed simultaneously with the sporting facilities.

“The guest rooms will serve as the accommodation for those who want to use the complex for various kinds of recreation or the other”, he said.