Hon. Bukola Olopade, former Commissioner for youth and sports in Ogun State has hailed the State governor, Prince Dr. Dapo Abiodun, for providing a worthy environment for sports to progress in the state.
At the grand finale of the 2021 Gateway Tertiary Institutions Games (GATIG) held yesterday at Alake Sports Centre, Ijeja Abeokuta, the former commissioner heaped praises on the governor.
Olopade was in office when GATIG was introduced but now headed by Dr. Kehinde Oluwadare, the sports executive did not hold back when praising the Governor and the ministry for the height they have attained with sports in the state.
While speaking to the press, Olopade said, “The state has to be proud of what GATIG initiative has achieved over time and I want to appreciate the governor for mandating it for the Hon. Commissioner to see to it that the initiative takes it full course.
“The success of GATIG can not be underestimated because it has positioned the state in a very good spot from 19th position to 3rd position at the National sports festival and in 2009, we were 2nd in Kaduna, all thanks to Prince Tunji Onatolu and his team for the good job they did then.”
To show his unending love and support for the development of grassroot sports in the state, the former sports commissioner rewarded the Basketball finalists, Tai Solarin University of Education team and their counterpart from Olabisi Onabanjo University with a cash gift of One Hundred Thousand Naira.
Fortune also smiled on the Nigeria’s gold medalist at the just concluded Tokyo 2020 Paralympic games, Latifat Tijani, as she was also gifted One Hundred Thousand Naira by the former commissioner.
He then concluded that the students that took part in GATIG that just ended will represent the state proud at the 2022 National Sports Festival in Delta State.
