Tag: Lekan Fatodu

The Director General of the Lagos State Sports Commission, Lekan Fatodu, has commended the organisers of the Lagos Women Run over what he described as a decade of a remarkable journey.

At the Mobolaji Johnson Arena Finish point of the 2025 event, the 10^th  in the series, Aminat Alabi made history as the first Lagos-based athlete to win the race.

Lekan Fatodu, the Director-General of the Lagos State Sports Commission, praised the organisers for a decade of consistency.

The DG, who joined the organisers in the preparatory stage of the event said: “It’s been a remarkable journey. A decade of experiences, exploits, and opportunities, building community cohesion and promoting sporting development.

 “We must commend the organisers for their resilience and for consistently producing new talent and stars in athletics.”

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Fatodu added that Alabi’s victory reflects the bright sporting future of Lagos State.

He said: “This win gives us insight into the opportunities that lie ahead.

 “It complements our recent success at the National Youth Games, where a 14-year-old boy from Lagos won the 200m event.

 “I assure you that Lagos State will continue using platforms like this to discover more young athletes.”

The Coordinator of the Lagos Women Run, Temitope Popoola, said the event had provided life-changing opportunities for women.

She  said: “The race has empowered many women, promoting well-being, creating networking opportunities, and encouraging economic and social growth.

 “We also encourage women to prioritize their health, because we believe a healthy woman builds healthy families and a healthy nation.”

The Director General of the Lagos State Sports Commission, Lekan Fatodu, has praised the organisers of the annual Lagos Women Run for their consistency over the years as he reiterated the Lagos State’s commitment to the event.

Fatodu  described the initiative as a platform that celebrates the strength, resilience and limitless potential of women as Lagos Women Run marks its 10^th  anniversary.

The 10^th  edition of the race, with the theme “One run, a thousand opportunities”, will also be heralded by an empowerment programme which starts today, November 4^th . This four-day programme is designed to empower women with the different skills, knowledge, and support they need to succeed.

 “This year’s theme ‘One run a thousand opportunities’ is both symbolic and timely as it reminds us that a single heart of running can open countless doors for self-discovery, inclusion, and the collective progress of women in our society,” he said.

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“Over these years, the Lagos Women Run has evolved from a modest effort to promote fitness among women into one of the most recognizable and unifying events for women across Nigeria, combining sports, empowerment, and social engagement on an impressive scale.”

The Expo of the race will see women being trained on various aspects of business and also how to make their relationship works with one of the speakers, the Ambassador of the Race, U-Meleni Mhlaba Adebo, helping the women to see how they can use run to maintain their homes.

EXPO Programme Lead, Sidikat Folami, has  assured that all was set for the event, a major pre for the Lagos Women Run.

 “Many of those who registered are looking forward to collect their kits and be part of the empowerment programme. We are ready and we thank all those who supported this far including the Lagos State Government and Lagos Recyclers Association (LAGRA),”Folami said.

The Lagos Women Run is slated for Saturday November 8.

The Lagos State Sports Commission and the organisers of the Africa School Games have resolved to strengthen their partnership for talent discovery and development in the state, following the successful completion of the inaugural edition of the games in Lagos.

About 11 schools in Lagos took part in the three-day tournament, which featured spirited competitions in swimming, athletics, and football in the U-11, U-13, and U-15 categories. The British International School hosted the inaugural edition with other schools like Grange School, St Savoiurs School, RiverBank School, Supreme Education Foundation, and Avi-Cenna featuring prominently. 

The event was championed by sports enthusiasts, Dr. Seun Akinbohun, Dr.  Busola Tejumola and Aderoju Ope-Ajayi, who envision a structured school sports ecosystem built on three pillars: continental competition, talent identification, and ecosystem building.

Director General of the Lagos State Sports Commission, Lekan Fatodu, noted that the Africa School Games exemplifies the state’s resolve for talent development and inclusive scouting.

 “We know that schools provide a better environment for talents to be discovered and nurtured. This is a private initiative, but during the course of the partnership, we did make sure that the path of inclusivity isn’t left out, so we have our public schools being part of this,” Fatodu said.

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 “I am particularly impressed that the inaugural edition was successfully managed, and I am confident that the subsequent ones will engage more schools across the continent.”

The organisers also acknowledged the state’s effort in ensuring the success of the initiative.

“With Lagos State, we know of the Ibile Games and Governor Sanwo-Olu’s passion to drive youth empowerment through sports, and they have been amazing partners for us. Key endorsements came from Lagos State, and we are grateful for that,” one of the co-founders, Ope-Ajayi said.

Reflecting on the success of the inaugural edition, the organisers have also expressed their readiness to welcome schools from other African countries in subsequent editions.

“Absolutely, that is our plan. We will definitely have swimming, athletics, and football. Next year, we will be ready to host the whole of Africa in Lagos. We are ready for as many that can come.

Another co-founder, Dr Tejumola, also reiterated ASG’s goal of spotlighting talents across Africa.

“It’s good to see the competitive spirit, expertise and skills that the athletes have come with. Africa School Games is a continental competition and the goal is to create a structured sports ecosystem for talent identification and development in Africa.”

After three days of thrilling competitions, St Saviours were the overall winners in the U-11 category with 1042 points while Grange School won the U-13 category with 1168 points.

British International School and Grange School were tied in the U-15 category, sharing the top prize with 909 points each.