Obasa Games: Victory FC crowned champions

The curtains were drawn on the 2024 Obasa Games as Victory FC were crowned champions of the football event after a thrilling 4-3 penalty shootout against Lionheart FC at the Anwar-Islam Secondary School, Dopemu-Agege.

Over 500 U-19 athletes from across the Local Government Area and Local Council Development Area that make up the Lagos West Senatorial District competed in over five events: football, boxing, chess, scrabble and table tennis, with the champions, 1st and 2nd runners-up smiling home with mouthwatering cash prizes.

“We have had one of the best Obasa Games ever, a beautiful experience across the five different events, it shows that we have a lot of talents at the grassroot,” a proud Abdul-Ganiyu Obasa, chairman of Local Organising Committee, declared at the closing of the one-month multi-sports event.

“The standard of the Games has been very high. A lot needs to be done as a way of encouraging the youths via sports and, of course, with an assurance that there’s always light at the end of the tunnel once they take any of the sports as careers.”

“The Obasa Cup was just football, and in Agege alone, as a committee, we had to think outside the box, change the narratives and have more Inclusivity by having more athletes participate in other sports, and also expand it beyond Agege to Lagos West Senatorial District,  which came about the Obasa Games.”

“More than N12m was won as prize money in the five events with Victory FC taking home N3m while the chess champion got N500,000, making him the top winner in the individual sport. This goes to show our commitment towards rewarding talents as we place premium value on the youth.”

He added, “Our sincere thanks to the Speaker Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt Honourable Mudashiru Obasa, he supported the games, likewise other individuals. Sports is capital intensive, from planning to its end product, rewarding winners. But the goal

“Don’t forget, the 2024 Obasa Games was about talent discovery. We saw an 11-year-old chess talent, who certainly is a future champion likewise in boxing and table tennis.”

On the future of the Obasa Games, “As the Honourable Speaker said, the Obasa Games won’t just be an Agege or Lagos West thing, the 2025 edition will accommodate all talents across Lagos State.”