Sports

Countdown To Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games: Shaibu Sends Forth Adegoke With $10,000 Grant

Published

4 years ago

July 12, 2021

Joel Ajayi
The Deputy-Governor of Edo State Philip Shaibu on Monday send forth the state representative in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Enoch Adegoke with the blessings of the government and the good people of Edo State.

A grant of $10,000 to meet his personal needs in the build-up to the Olympic Games, during the games and immediately after the games was also given to the sprinter.

Adegoke qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games thanks to the generous financial assistance and facilities and equipment provided by the Edo State Government.

Shaibu at the meeting in Government House, Benin joined online by Adegoke, Yussuf Alli a former Captain of Team Nigeria to major games and championships, Emmanuel Igbinosa, Kweku Tandoh, Similaye Pepple and other stakeholders in the athletics family thank God for Adegoke’s life and praised him for his humility, dedication and commitment to athletics.

Said Shaibu: “the government and good people of Edo State are wishing you well. I am positive that Tokyo 2020 will be the springboard you need to achieve greater things in life, the sky is your limit.

“It is the duty of the Governor, myself, Edo State and Nigeria to continue to support you to achieve your dream. I urged you to continue with the commitment and the hard work you have shown at the Edo 2020 National Sports Festival, we pray that God will crown your efforts with success. We pray that you come with a medal. We realize that in the build to the games, during and after you will have some needs and we don’t want those needs to distract you, that is why the government is giving you $10,000 to meet these needs, when you come back there will be a special Edo Package to celebrate you”.

Replying, an elated Adegoke thank His Excellency Governor Godwin Obaseki, Deputy Governor Shaibu and the good people of Edo State.

“I am happy and excited to be Edo State Ambassador. When Yussuf Alli, my senior, told me that Deputy Governor wants to send me forth over the weekend I could not believe it. I thank the Governor, the Deputy Governor and the people of Edo State for the cash grants but the honour of being hosted by the Deputy Governor is more than the cash I promise to fly the state flag higher and higher and be a good ambassador of Edo government and people”. Adegoke said.

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Sports

A Triumphant Close to the 22nd National Sports Festival

Published

3 days ago

May 29, 2025

The Gleamer

…As organisers promise another spectacle at closing ceremony on Thursday

Joel Ajayi

After 11 days of a true showcase of sporting competition in multiple Sports by some of the country’s top and even promising athletes, the curtain will finally be drawn on what many have described as one of the best ever organised National Sports festivals, when the closing ceremony is held on Thursday at the MKO Sports Arena in Abeokuta.

Whilst the quality of the Games’ opening ceremony is still getting tongues wagging, the entire sporting family and beyond is now anxiously looking forward to what the closing ceremony will look like.

The last 11 days have showcased Ogun state as a true Sporting hub with potential to even do more, with the quality of the facilities built for the games and the enthusiasm of the people who made the various venues their second home in the last few days.

A big testament to this was the history-making crowd that attended the male football final between Ogun state and Kwara State, which the host won by 4-1.

The MKO stadium was filled to full capacity while the crowd outside watching from the big screen reminds one of how much Sports is truly the soul of our togetherness as a country.

From the Alake Sports centre in Ijeja and the Baptist boys high school, to the Obafemi Awolowo square and the Remo stadium both in Ikenne, to the NYSC orientation camp in Shagamu, and the Ilisan town hall in Ilisan, the festival never lacked spectatorship throughout the games.

The Games actually lived up to the pre-tournament hype as both the National Sports Commission, NSC and the Ogun state Government pulled out every administrative capacity to ensure both athletes, officials and the media have an unforgettable experience.

The Gateway Games 2024 had been full of exciting drama and intrigues amongst the states and athletes which led to different new records being set and some old records being shattered.

The festival has also produced for the country some new exciting young talents especially with the shocking performance of the 38th state, the Invited Junior Athletes ( IJA), where they ended up winning some surprised medals to justify the Commission’s establishment of the initiative.

As the Closing ceremony holds on Thursday, the leadership of the National Sports commission, NSC, expresses its profound gratitude to the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Ogun State Government for making sure millions of Nigerian youths see a renewed brighter future in the country through the National Sports Festival.
The NSC Chairman Mallam Shehu Dilko said ” our overwhelming gratitude goes to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,GCFR, for his personal commitment to the development of Nigerian Sports by giving us every support financially and otherwise for the success of this festival”.

” And the Ogun state Governor, Dapo Abiodun also deserves a huge praise for the feat we all recorded with these games. I can’t thank him enough and posterity will surely remember him for good “.

The NSC Director General who is also the Chairman of the Main organising committee of the games, Hon Bukola Olopade also extended his gratitude to all the technocrats behind the scene that are responsible for the successful organisation of the games.

” From all the members of the Main organising committee to the various sub committees, to members of the local organising committees and all our technical officials in the various sports to the media and our athletes, every success that everyone is talking about concerning these Games belongs to you all”.

” Yes it was not a perfect festival because we acknowledged we had also some challenges but let me assure everyone that some of the challenges are already being worked upon ahead of the next Games holding in Enugu state next year”, he concluded.

The Closing ceremony is expected to bring together top Government functionaries to captain of industries while there will also be the rich cultural display of the state as Ogun state will officially pass the barton of hosting to Enugu state for the 23rd edition of the Games come September 2026.

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