In a bid to discover raw sporting talents from the grassroots, the Ona-Ara local government of Oyo State and Ilaji Stadium and Resorts Centre have began themaiden edition of sporting festival
Tagged Ona-Ara Sports Festival, the caretaker committee chairman of the concil, who doubles as the co-chairman of the event,Hon. Aderemi Ogundele while addressing journalists as part of event unveiling the tournament slated to begin on Saturday, 17th March 2018 at sporting facility which is located at the council’s Akanran secretariat, explained that the public, private partnership arrangement between the local council and management of the sporting complex is to model the initiative of Governor Abiola Ajimobi administration.
According to him “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”.
Ogundele explained further 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.”
He revealed that 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 people, especially the sons and daughters of Ona- Ara Local Government to emulate the ingenuity creativity and philanthropic gesture of Engr. Dotun Sanusi, the owner of the sporting complex to bring development to the council.
Also speaking at the media session, 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.
Olaniyi, who was a special assistant to the Oyo State Governor on Broadcast, 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.
Hear him: “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.
