A new sports initiative honouring President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been officially launched in Ondo town, Ondo State, with a strong focus on youth empowerment, community engagement, and grassroots sports development.
The event, tagged the Tinubu Sports Festival, was unveiled on Thursday at the Adeyemi University of Education Sports Arena. Organised by the Grassroots Movement for Tinubu (GMT), the festival aims to foster unity, showcase young talents, and promote the developmental ideals championed by President Tinubu’s administration.
During the unveiling ceremony, the Director-General of GMT, Saka Yusuf-Ogunleye, who also served as the former Ondo State Commissioner for Sports, said the festival was introduced to revitalise sporting culture at the local level. According to him, the programme is not just about competition but about educating the people on the president’s ongoing reforms while creating opportunities for young Nigerians to express themselves through sports.
Yusuf-Ogunleye noted that the event would help in discovering fresh talents who could bring glory to the state and the country. He explained that the festival would hold in five different zones of Ondo State to ensure wider participation and inclusiveness, adding that hundreds of young men and women had already registered to take part.
He expressed optimism that the festival would serve as a breeding ground for future national and international athletes. The Director-General also pointed out that the attitude towards sports development in Nigeria had changed, with players and athletes now receiving meaningful recognition and rewards for their efforts. He assured that winners of the festival would not go home empty-handed, as they would be duly appreciated and rewarded for their hard work and dedication.
Yusuf-Ogunleye further highlighted the economic and social importance of sports, noting that it now provides employment, recognition, and stability for many young people. “Sport has gone beyond entertainment. Sport today has become a business where talent can be discovered and where people can be engaged,” he said.
He added that beyond promoting the ideals of President Tinubu, the festival seeks to empower young people, take them off the streets, and redirect their energy towards productive ventures. According to him, the long-term goal is to help them build careers and achieve self-reliance through sports.
The festival will feature a wide range of events including football, athletics, wrestling, basketball, handball, boxing, table tennis, tennis, and Ayo Olopon, among others, to allow participants from different backgrounds to compete in their areas of strength.
Yusuf-Ogunleye commended the Minister of Interior, Dr. Bunmi Tunji-Ojo, for sponsoring the initiative and for his unwavering commitment to youth development. He noted that the minister’s support had made it possible for young athletes to chase their dreams and gain recognition.
In his remarks, the Director-General of GMT in Ogun State, Tola Banjo, described the sports festival as a historic and transformative project. He praised Tunji-Ojo for his consistency in giving back to society and described him as a pride to the nation whose passion for community upliftment continues to inspire hope among the younger generation.
Banjo added that the Tinubu Sports Festival would leave a lasting legacy in Ondo State by rekindling the spirit of healthy competition and unity among young people while also serving as a symbol of the president’s commitment to inclusive development and national progress.
