Athletes of Lagos Model College were cynosure of all eyes as they took home most prizes in the final day of 3rd edition of Dr Ola-Oki Scrabble Championship in Badagry on Wednesday. The competition was held at Ola Oki Medical Centre, lbereko Badagry.
At the end of three days brainstorming activities from no fewer than 300 students of schools within Education District 5, Lagos State Model College was adjudged the best school of the tournament. In the top 5 rating determined by the technical officers of Lagos State Scrabble Association, the Model College students came second, fourth and fifth in the senior category, while the students of the college came first and second in the junior events.
Alabi Emmanuel of Lagos State Model College won the junior category after posting 12+1490 points, Azeez Akorede also of Model College got 10+1007 points to came second, while Anjolaoluwa Femi of Francis Xavier School came third with 9+861 points.
In the senior category, Albert Emmanuel of Ajara Grammar School with 12+1816 points came first, followed by Gazal Aishat of Lagos Model College with 10+686 points, while 9.5+1307 points gave Gnahon Michael of Ajara Senior Secondary School the third position.
Alabi Emmanuel and Albert Emmanuel were the Most Valuable Players (MVP) in the junior and senior categories respectively.
Initiator and sponsor of the competition, Dr. Olabodunrin Waheed Oki praised the spirit of sportsmanship of the participants, adding that the partnership of the Lagos State Government through the Lagos State Sports Commission has really changed the fortune of the competition.
“I want to thank Governor of Lagos State, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode for the state’s financial and logistics support. We are so much grateful because these have added values and glamour to the event.
I’m glad that outstanding athletes discovered in this competition will be joining the state camp for future national and international events to further expose and groom them. I believe that in the future we will have world champions coming out from Ola-Oki Scrabble Tourney, ” he said.
Special Adviser to the Governor on Sports, Mr Deji Tinubu, who was represented by Mr. Nunayon Olumide Travih, Chief Sports Officer of the Sports Commission, said that the competition started as an individual sponsored competition, but the Sports Commission had since taken over the tournament on the directive of the Governor, adding that more school sports competitions will be organised in the state to give the students chance to exercise their God-given talent.
Miss Grace Alao who won the tourney in 2015 and 2016 was so impressed with the prizes giving out to various winners, saying that she wished the Governor had been the one sponsoring the event when she was the champion.
Handsome prizes were given out to winners. Winners in both junior and senior categories were given laptops, trophies, t-shirts and exercise books. Second positions got Techno DroiPad 70 with trophies, t-shirts and exercise books. Third placed winners got Scrabble Dictionaries, t-shirts and exercise books. Fourth to tenth positions received school bags with exercise books. All participants were given certificates of participation.