The Lagos State House of Assembly has begun the 2024 Speakers Game tagged “Ibile Game”, aimed at discovering talents among legislative workers and various Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in the state.
The Speaker, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, made this known at the commencement of the Year 2024 Speaker’s Game (Ibile Edition) at the assembly sporting complex on Wednesday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Speaker’s Cup, an annual sporting event, is organised by legislative workers of the assembly.
The event is also part of activities to commemorate the birthday of the Speaker, Mr Mudashiru Obasa.
The sporting event is from Oct. 23 to Nov. 11, 2024.
The speaker said that the various games to be played included Football, Volleyball, Table Tennis, Basketball, Tug ‘O’ War, Ludo, Ayo Olopon and Draft, with the competitions in both male and female categories.
Obasa, represented by the Deputy Majority Leader, Mr Adedamola Kasunmu, said the Speaker’s Cup was a means of contributing to grassroots sporting development in the state.
He said: “The average people of Lagos should expect more than what they have been getting from the games before.
“The games can otherwise be tagged a unity game to show us as one indivisible family in Lagos.
“We bring together people from other agencies of government in Lagos to compete because sports is a leveler, sports unifies us.
“We don’t talk of religion or tribe when it comes to sports and that is what we are promoting. That oneness in us as Nigerians as well as the people of Lagos ,and that is what I want them to see.
“This one will be different from the 2023 edition because right now, we are doing it by recognising the five divisions we have in Lagos and trying to promote unity that all divisions are one”.
Mr Abiodun Orekoya, the Chairman, House of Assembly Committee on Youths, Sports and Social Development, said the local games would showcase the cultural games they used to play in the villages in those days.
Also speaking, the state’s Commissioner for Youths, Sports and Social Development, Mr Mobolaji Ogunlende, said the cultural game in the five divisions of the state, would further foster unity irrespective of the divisions.
“At the end of the competition, perhaps some of those personnel in some MDAs in different divisions whom had not interacted before, would be able to do so.
“This is an opportunity for us all to come together to continue to push that unionism and ultimately to ensure a greater Lagos continues to rise.
“Let us quickly look at sports development in Lagos state. We know the state is leading the change when it comes to other states,” he said. (NAN)
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