Sports

Alli Applauds Amusan/ Onakoya Athletics Meet

Published

5 years ago

February 21, 2022

The Executive Chairman of the Edo State Sports Commission Yussuf Alli has commended the efforts of Tobi Amusan and Abiola Onakoya to give back their community by developing the youths in Ijebu-land through athletics.

Alli urged other privileged athletes with contacts and financial muscle to emulate Amusan and Onakoya and help develop the sport at the grassroots so as to give opportunities to younger ones.

The first edition of the Amusan/Onakoya Athletics Meet will hold on Thursday, February 24, 2022, at the Ijebu-Ode International Stadium, Ijebu-Ode.

Said Alli in an interactive section with journalists over the weekend said: “I am really impressed with the efforts of Amusan and Onakoya, they have not made billions of Naira from athletics and they have shown that you don’t really have to make billions of Naira to give back to your community. They are not only organizing a meet for all the secondary schools in Ijebu land, there will also be an open meet where runners from different parts of the country will win prizes, this is really commendable.”

Alli appealed to Amusan and Onakoya to take the meet to the next level in the second edition by organizing it for all the secondary schools in Ogun State.

“They should look for sponsors that will partner with them and make it Ogun State Secondary School Athletics Championship. There are lots of talents in Ogun State and all hands must be on the deck to discover and nurture them to become world champion.”

Alli also urged other athletes especially those with resources to emulate Amusan and Onakoya, “Nigeria is blessed in athletics like America and the Caribbean Islands, all we need is developmental programmes and athletes who through divine intervention has been able to make it despite all the obstacles on athletes way here should remember the younger ones and assist like Amusan and Onakoya are doing in Ogun State.”

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Sports

Drogba, Amuneke, Eguavoen Lead African Legends’ Arrival in Lagos

Published

15 hours ago

November 7, 2026

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

With just one day to the much-anticipated Legends of Africa Football Game, Ivorian football icon Didier Drogba has arrived in Lagos, joining an impressive assembly of former African internationals already in the city ahead of Sunday’s star-studded encounter.

Drogba’s arrival further heightens anticipation for the game, which will bring together some of the continent’s most celebrated football figures at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, Lagos.

Also in Lagos are Nigerian football greats Mobi Oparaku, Emmanuel Amuneke, Emmanuel Babayaro, Garba Lawal, Austin Eguavoen and Mutiu Adepoju, alongside other members of the legendary Super Eagles generations of 1994 and 1996.

The African contingent also features distinguished names including Togo’s Emmanuel Adebayor, Senegal’s El-Hadji Diouf, Ghana’s Stephen Appiah and Cameroon’s Rigobert Song, among other former international stars.

The excitement will extend beyond the legends’ reunion, with popular Nigerian entertainers and celebrities preparing for a special Celebrity Match as part of the event. Yhemolee, Sheggz, Jeriq, Teddy A and Charles Okocha are among the personalities set to feature in the celebrity fixture, scheduled to begin at 1:30pm.

The Celebrity Match will form part of a wider programme of activities designed to give fans a full day of football, entertainment and celebration before the main legends’ fixture, which kicks off at 5pm. Gates open at 1:30pm.

Organized by Toptier Sports Management in collaboration with Afreximbank and CANEX as part of CANEX WKND 2026, the game will feature 15 Nigerian legends taking on 13 African icons in a celebration of the players whose achievements helped shape the history of football on the continent.

Beyond the match, the programme includes a football clinic involving 500 young players, entertainment and special recognition for the heroes of African football.

The Legends of Africa Football Game promises a memorable gathering of football royalty, bringing together generations of fans to celebrate the enduring legacy of the continent’s finest players.

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