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Government College, Eric Moore, has emerged winner of the Femi Gbajabiamila U-16 Football Competition in Surulere, Lagos.
The Government College defeated the Iponri High School team 3-0 to cart home the golden trophy and a handsome cash prize at the weekend. The finals played at the Abalti Barracks Mini Stadium, Surulere, recorded a massive turnout of students and sports enthusiasts from various schools within the local government.
In the third-place match, the Obele Community High School team defeated Zumratul Islamiyah High School 5-4 in a penalty shootout, after being held in a goalless draw in the regulated time.
The organisers presented cash prizes and dummy cheques of N500,000, N300,000 and N200,000 to the winner, first and second runner up respectively.
Speaking after the match, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by the Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mr. Mobolaji Ogunlende, commended the organisers, while also wishing the students success in all their endeavours.
The governor said his administration is committed to promoting young talents. He commended Gbajabiamila for his unwavering commitment to youth development and his belief in the transformative power of sports as a tool for societal advancement.
He said: “As a government, we are deeply committed to nurturing the potential of our youths. This competition aligns with our goal of promoting education with sports and youth engagement.”
On his part, the Chief of Staff to the President, Gbajabiamila, in a pre-recorded message played after the tournament, appreciated the lawmaker representing Surulere constituency 1, Desmond Elliot, for putting the competition together.
Gbajabiamila said he had been following the matches and display of skills and that the nature of his job didn’t allow him to participate physically.
He said: “We have discovered a lot of talents from the blow of the first whistle in this tournament. We are going to have more talents.
“I congratulate the winners and the runner-up. Surulere means so much to me. Say no to drug abuse, be conscious of the environment and make sure you take your education very seriously. Education is very important.”
It would be recalled that the third-term member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Elliot launched the month-long tournament for Secondary Schools in Surulere on October 24 in honour of Gbajabiamila.
Elliot said the competition was designed to support the well-being and engagement of students despite socio-economic challenges. He noted that two outstanding players had been linked to a 1471 football club in Surulere and that by 2025 Surulere would have a full football league.
The lawmaker, who noted that the tournament had enabled the discovery of so many talents, added that it had also engaged students on the dangers of drug abuse, cyber crimes, cultism, bullying and inter-school fights. “Time is now for us to begin to engage our youngsters. They are the future of tomorrow. We cannot leave everything entirely up to the government.”
The Director General of Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC), Mr Lekan Fatodu, who described the event as fantastic and remarkable, thanked Gbajabiamila and Elliot for intervening in sports development.
He said: “This is a tactical and strategic way of diverting the attention of our young people away from wrongdoings. So, this is an opportunity to unleash the inherent potential in our young people.
“There’s no better way, or better avenue, to catch them young, to get the best talent out, than in schools and various communities.”
According to Fatodu, from the preliminaries to the final stage, the commission has been able to identify about 35 exceptional players who actually have the potential to get to the highest level of their football career.
Also speaking, a member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Fuad Laguda, described the tournament as an epic one, while stressing the need to keep engaging the youth.
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