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By Razaq Bamidele
A mini Sports fiesta that will bring together talents from the six states that make up the South-west geo-political region of Nigeria is in the offing. The maiden edition of the games, code-named SOWEGA (South West Games), will hold in Ogun State, hence the name SOWEGA, Ogun 2021.
A statement from the SOWEGADevelopment Association (SDA), disclosed that the mini fiesta will debut between September 26 and October 7 this year. The statement was signed by the Games’ Chairman, Central Working Committee (CWC), Dr. Babatunde Olokun, a former member of the House of Representatives between 1999 and 2003. He represented Remo Federal Constituency of Ogun State.
The former lawmaker, in the statement, spelt out the vision of the sporting initiative in details thus:
1. To position sports as the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), for achieving zonal developments and the integration of people of the zone. 2. To provide constant avenue for inculcating the intrinsic value of sportsmanship in the youth of the zone 3. To provide avenue for the people of the zone to utilise abundant energy while developing healthy lifestyle. 4. To promote the spirit of leadership, team work and the value of striving to achieve set goals and meeting aspirations through hard work. 5. And to enable the youths display sporting talents that may be economically viable to them in the world of sport professionalism.
Babatunde stated further that about 14 events would be featured at the event. The events are Track and field like soccer, table tennis, boxing, athletics, draught, basketball, swimming, Ayo indigenous game, golf and volleyball.
He informed that there are 25 institutions, showing interest to participate in the sporting event and that more are still coming.
“More institutions of higher learning within the South-west geopolitical region have signified interests to participate in the maiden South-west Games (SOWEGA), tagged Ogun 2021, that is tentatively scheduled for the first week in September at the NYSC camp, Sagamu, Ogun State,” Olokun revealed.
The CWC chairman further disclosed that at the committee’s meeting on the games recently held at the Conference Centre, University of Ibadan (UI), Ibadan, representatives from intending participating schools were present along with members of the CWC. The main mission of the SDA behind the sporting event, according to the organisers, is to foster harmony and friendship among the youths within the South-west geo-political zone of the country and to enable them to display sporting talents that may be economically viable to them in the world of sport professionalism.
The committee officers from the intending institutions were said to have, however, looked critically into the academic calendar of the schools before arriving at the proposed schedule before urging corporate bodies and private individuals that might want to sponsor or partner with the organisers to be prompt.
Other schools that have joined the UI and Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijebu Ode that is driving the idea are the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (UNAAB), Yaba College of Technology, Yaba, Lagos, Federal University of Oye, Ekiti State (FUOYE), Ekiti State University, Osun State University, the State of Osun and Olabisi Onabanjo University, Agowoye, Ogun State and others.
According to SOWEGA Development Association (SDA), the entry fee for participation in SOWEGA, (Ogun 2021), is N200, 000 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira) only; entry closes on August 31, 2021. |