Sports

Professor Oladipo Emerges as Sports Science President

Published

3 weeks ago

May 15, 2025

A new era has dawned at the Nigeria Association of Sports Science and Medicine with the election of a new executive committee led by Professor I. O. Oladipo.

This leadership change was formalized during the association’s recent conference held at the University of Ibadan.

Professor Oladipo emerged victorious over his rival, Professor Ochuko Nabofa, in a keenly contested election. Other elected officials include Professor Dominic Leah Oluwafunmilola, who emerged unopposed as Vice President; Dr. Boluwaji G. Jaiyesimi, who was elected as General Secretary; and Mr. Taiwo Abdulkarim, who will serve as the Assistant General Secretary.

Additionally, Professor M. H. Darma was returned unopposed as Treasurer, while Dr. Victor Ogunleye was elected as the Public Relations Officer of the association.

The election was one of the key highlights of the 2025 Conference themed “Shaping Humans and Society through Science and Medicine of Sports.”
In his acceptance speech, Professor Oladipo pledged to run an inclusive administration, aimed at positioning the association at the pinnacle of professional bodies in Nigeria.

The keynote address at the conference was delivered by Professor Emmanuel Igoh Odokuma, Provost of the College of Health Sciences, Delta State University, Abraka. He expressed concern over the increasing rate of mental illness in the country and emphasized the importance of sports in alleviating stress, emotional trauma, and other mental health disorders.

Professor Odokuma highlighted that sporting activities contribute to reducing stress and enhancing longevity. He urged all levels of government to invest in and promote sports among citizens to help improve public health and life expectancy.

“We explored how medicine and science can shape the future of sports and discussed key issues such as humanity, science, and mental health,” he noted. “In managing psychiatric conditions like depression, sports play a vital role. Beyond health, sports also offer significant economic benefits,” he concluded.

Share on Facebook

Sports

A Triumphant Close to the 22nd National Sports Festival

Published

4 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.

Share on Facebook