APC chieftain,  Dotun Babayemi Organises Football Competition For Youth

By Ayobami Agboola, Osogbo

An All Progressive Congress( APC) Chieftain in Osun state, Omooba Dotun Babayemi has emphasized the need for youth to embrace sport, describing it as a viable means to engage youth.

Babayemi made this known at the St Patrick football ground, Gbongan, during the official kick-off of the grassroot football competition he organized for the youth across the ten local governments that made up of Osun West Senatorial District.

He noted that participation of youth in various sporting activities is a strong antidote to youth restiveness, saying he organized the tournament in his constituency to help the youth to discover their talents.

The former  Osun West Senatorial aspirant said that he initiated the competition as a way of engaging the youth in meaningful sporting activities and empowering them to discover their talents

He therefore advised youth to take active part in sporting activities and avoid hooliganism in sports in order not to jeopardise its very essence.
Babayemi further advised the participants to see one another as healthy competitors and not as rivals or enemies.

He opined that the competition will keep the youth busy, especially when the schools are on vacation.

He said  that the competition will get bigger next year as he expects all teams from his senatorial district to participate.

” This is my own way of contributing my quota to the development of youths in Osun West Senatorial District. The competition is to help keep our youth engaged and to further foster unity across all quarters.

“This is the first edition and you can see the way my people embraced  it. I hope to make it bigger next year and more elaborate. I can really see that my people love sports.

At the end of the competition,  TJ Football Club, Ikire,  emerged winner of the football competition,  after defeating Oke Ola FC of Gbongan by a lone goal scored in the 87th minute of the thrilling and interesting encounter.

The winners (TJ Football Club) pocketed the star prize of N150,000 and a giant trophy for their impressive outing, while the runners up (Oke Ola FC)  went home with N100,000 for their effort.

The royal father of the event,  the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi said that such a match would help in strengthening the unity among diverse people.

Oba Akanbi commended Omooba Babayemi for putting up such event,  for the development of the youth.

Present at the event were HRM, the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Rasheed Akanbi, Osun State commissioner for Sports, Hon Biyi Odunlade, the State Chairman of APC, Prince Adegboyega Famodun, commissioner for Justice, Dr Surajudeen Ajibola Basiru among other  dignitaries.