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Tag: Olabanji Oladapo

  • Valediction for Island Club chair

    It was an evening loaded with activities at the Island Club in Onikan, Lagos, when its Chairman, Olabanji Oladapo, bowed out in style.

    The party, which had guests clad in beautiful traditional attire was entitled “2019 Easter/New Members/Chairman’s Dance”.

    It featured awards to some distinguished members, induction of new members, dancing, eating, drinking and inauguration of gym, sauna and sickbay by a Trustee and Past Chairman of the Club, Chief Olumuyiwa Falomo.

    National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who was represented by the former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, said the award would encourage people to do more.

    “To whom much is given, much is expected. The awards were given to those who have contributed in one way or the other to the development of the club. I commend the management of the club for this evening and for giving awards to those who deserve it. The club chairman has done well for the club and he has left a landmark achievement to his name; given the history of the club and the fact that it is the foremost social club in Lagos,” he said.

    According to Oladapo, the ‘Easter Dance’ was meant to welcome the Christian brothers after 40 days of fasting period.

    “This has given us the opportunity to experience what our Lord Jesus Christ went through while on earth over 2,000 years ago. It further increases our faith and gets us more committed to the plights of the poor and needy in our society as we are now better able to appreciate what it means to go on for days without food. It is also the period of abstinence from worldly pleasure,” he said.

    Oladapo further said new members inducted are eminent gentlemen who have distinguished themselves in their chosen careers and have been considered as fit and proper for the membership of the club. “We congratulate them as they join the comity of honoured men of substance.”

    He said: “Having completed my two-year term, I have no doubt I have enjoyed your support and co-operation and useful advice during my tenure as your chairman. It has been challenging and quite interesting in spite of some hiccups which were not unexpected considering the magnitude of the challenges at hand. I must also not fail to show my appreciation to you all for your overwhelming confidence in my leadership. I have worked with most vibrant, articulate, enterprising and committed members of the management committee.”

    He added that those accorded the club honours is because of their contributions to the success of his administration and to thank them for their outstanding services to the club.

  • 2019: Cleric calls for unity

    Cathedral Administrator, Holy Cross Cathedral, Lagos Island, Rev Fr. Marcellinus Teko has said disunity in the country in responsible for the mess we are currently into in the country. He called for unity among Nigerians and called for love homily and service among political leaders.

    He spoke on Monday night, during the Christmas Carol organised by The Island Club. The theme was, “Carol of unity, good tidings and classical music”. It held at the Peacock hall of the clung in Onikan, Lagos.

    Teko said the Christmas carol is to unite Nigerians, noting that disunity is a major problem that is facing Nigeria today.

    “So many people have found various means to promote disunity especially religion. A Christmas carol of this nature which is geared towards bringing people together from various denomination and religion shows that we can actually be together as Nigerians. All of us celebrating Christmas should know that our aim is to be united in love and joy which is the spirit of Christmas because that is the spirit of Christ.”

    He urged all political leaders to be Christ like in their pursuit and fear God in all they do, noting that the right spirit of leadership can be found in Christ.

    Read Also: 2019 elections: SOKAPU urges Nigerians to embrace peace

    “Christ is an example of humility, love and service. If that spirit is planted in the hearts of all those who desire to lead us in this country, they will not be doing what they are doing today. Different things are being done which is contrary to what leaders are men at to be doing. If those who are aspiring for political offices especially in the coming election see Christ as an example, they will be able to lead this country out of the mess we are currently into. Our political leaders must be humble and stop the selfish motive. Unity especially among politicians is what we need in Nigeria. Let us forsake all our evil ways,  do away with hatred, over ambitiousness and let peace reign in our nation,” he said.

    The Chairman of the Club, Olabanji Oladapo, said the carol is a tradition by the club to celebrate all festive seasons irrespective of religion.

    “As a club, we celebrate all festive, either Muslim or Christian and this makes us to be more united. We learn from each other as a club, we extend tentacles to each other, we network and benefit from each other,” he said.

    The Christmas Carol Coordinator, Chief Olusiji Olowosuko, said the carol aims to bring unity among Christians, among different denominations and Nigeria as a whole.

    “This carol signifies that Nigerians should be Christ like and we should be unified,” he said.

     

  • Aruna reigns over Omar Assar at ITTF Africa Cup

    Aruna reigns over Omar Assar at ITTF Africa Cup

    The years of domination by Egypt’s Omar Assar over Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri came to an on Monday, July 3 at the 2017 ITTF Africa Cup in Agadir, Morocco, as the Nigerian dug deep to beat his continental rival 4-3 to emerge as the champion in the men’s singles.

    Also, the victory qualifies Aruna Quadri to this year’s ITTF World Cup, being the second consecutive time the Nigerian will be representing Africa at the global stage.

    Despite playing without any coach, Aruna Quadri knew what was at stake in the encounter and he was calm and collected throughout the match to have an edge over the Egyptian.

    Even when he was losing vital points, Aruna Quadri showed class and even the spectators applauded the Nigerian for his conduct and professionalism during the encounter.

    To emerge as the new African Champion, Aruna Quadri defeated Omar Assar 4-3 and this Nigerian believes luck worked for him in the encounter.

    “I am so happy today that I won because it was not an easy match. I am happy that my backhand worked well in the match because I was afraid to use it against my friend – Omar Assar whom I know was in his best form this time. I think Omar Assar played and that it was just luck, today because sometimes luck plays a crucial role in matches,” Aruna Quadri told NationSport after his victory.

    The Vice President of African Table Tennis Federation (ATTF), Olabanji Oladapo who watched the final, described Aruna Quadri as a true ambassador of Nigeria who needs more support now.

    “I am so proud of Aruna Quadri and Funke Oshonaike because they played without coach against the Egyptians who had their coaches with them. They made the country proud and the match between Aruna Quadri and Omar Assar was highly technical and this goes to show that we need good and quality coach to handle our players because having played good players without coach and won, it is obvious that we need a more experienced coach to handle our top players. I am so proud and all my colleagues in ATTF congratulated me,” Oladapo said.

  • Gumel, Oladapo make IOC Commission

    Gumel, Oladapo make IOC Commission

    President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), Habu Gumel and former Secretary General of NOC, Oladapo Olabanji have made the list of members of International Olympic Committee (IOC) Commission.

    The composition of the IOC commissions for 2017 was announced yesterday with an increase of 70 per cent in female participation since September 2013. The commissions also reflect a broader geographical representation and include a number of new faces from a new generation who will be the leaders of tomorrow.

    Gumel was listed in three commissions while Oladapo is a member of the 19-man Communication Commission.
    Gummel belongs to Commissions of Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Olympic Games Evaluation and is Africa’s representative in the six-man Delegate Member of Broadcast Rights Commission.

    In a statement issued by IOC, President Thomas Bach has significantly increased the number of women appointed to a commission since his election, with 38 per cent of places now taken by women – a historic high. That is a 70 per cent increase since 2013. In 2017, 29 more positions are held by women across the 26 IOC commissions than in 2016, and female members are present on each of them.

    The changes to the function and composition of the commissions, which are effected by the IOC President working closely with the IOC Executive Board, also include increases in the number of members from America, Africa and Asia, thus guaranteeing a more global and diverse continental representation.

    “These changes are aligned with the implementation of Olympic Agenda 2020 and show that a stronger participation of women and a more diversified continental representation are our top priorities,” said IOC President Bach.
    “The diversity of members guarantees interesting and more inclusive discussions and reflects the Olympic Movement’s commitment to universality,” he added.

    The new make-up of the IOC commissions, which provide assistance to the IOC and Olympic Games Organising Committees, is also marked by the inclusion of young men and women who represent a new generation and will be the sports leaders of tomorrow. Since 2010, each edition of the Youth Olympic Games has welcomed and generated a group of Young Ambassadors who are still active today in their sport, in their territory or in their community. Seven of these talented ambassadors (of whom six are women) have joined the commissions to give youth a stronger, louder and clearer voice within the Movement.

  • Nigeria’s Oladapo returns as ITTF Africa VP

    Nigeria’s Oladapo returns as ITTF Africa VP

    • Oshodi becomes regional boss

    Former Secretary General of Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), Olabanji Oladapo has been returned unopposed as Vice President, Administration of the eight-man Executive Council of ITTF Africa during the Bi-Annual General Assembly (BGM) held in Agadir, Morocco on Tuesday.

    Similarly, the President of Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF), Wahid Oshodi has been elected as the Regional Vice President (Western Region) of ITTF Africa.

    Oshodi, who is also a Member of the Nominations Committee of ITTF will be in charge of the Western region which includes Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Cote D’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Conakry, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo. He is expected to coordinate the activities in this region with the aim of developing table tennis.

    Wahid Enitan Oshodi
    Wahid Enitan Oshodi

    Oladapo was elected alongside the President, ITTF Africa, Egypt’s Khaled El-Salhy in the new executives for another four-year term.

    Khaled El-Salhy, who became the president of the second largest continental body under the ITTF was elected unopposed while Henry Djombo (CGO), Deputy President; Olabanji Oladapo (NGR), Vice President Administration; Hajera Kajee (RSA), Vice President Marketing; Berte Abou Bakary (CIV), Vice President Finance; Monqid Hajji (MAR), Vice President Media and Public Relations and Balla Lo (SEN), Vice President Technical were all elected unopposed.

    For the regional Vice Presidents, Abdennour Kaci (Algeria) takes charge of Northern Region, Wahid Oshodi (Nigeria) is in charge of Western Region, Alfred Bagueka (Cameroon) is for Central Region, Andrew Mudibo (Kenya) to administer Eastern Rgion and Joe Carrim (South Africa) will take control of Southern Region.

    The council members are Kamel Zaitouni (Algeria), Mahmoud Oumar (Djibouti), Jalal Hariz (Libya), Philippe Hao Thyn Voon    (Mauritius), Abdelrahman El-Sallawi (Sudan) and Thomas Kiggundo (Uganda).

    However, two more co-opted members are expected to be added through the ITTF-Africa Executive Council maiden meeting.

    In his acceptance speech, Khaled El-Salhy pledged to uplift the fortune of table tennis in the continent, while calling for more support from national associations. “I am highly honoured to be considered for another term in office and I want to that the congress for their trust and support. We are so ambitious for the future hoping that we can focus on development and marketing of the sport so that we can continue to grow the sport in Africa,” he said.

    Countries that staged major competitions were also honoured for their efforts.

    Over 18 national associations graced the BGM while the congress also commended Morocco for their efforts to stage a befitting ITTF Africa Senior Championships.

    For 2017, Tunisia will host the African Junior and Cadet Championships in April while Congo Brazzaville is considering hosting the ITTF African Cup and Club Championship in July.

  • Nigerian players fought gallantly against Egypt, says Oladapo

    Nigerian players fought gallantly against Egypt, says Oladapo

    In the last five years, Vice President, African Table  Tennis Federation (ATTF), Olabanji Oladapo lost faith in Team Nigeria especially whenever they faced Egypt in any major competition. But at the final of the team events in the ongoing International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Africa Senior Championship, the ATTF helmsman was so impressed that he applauded the Nigerian teams for their quality and performance against the host teams.

    “I lose faith in any Nigerian team especially when they are facing the Egyptians, because at the end of the day, they will be beaten 3-0 or 4-0 by the North Africans. But with what I saw the team play in Cairo at the weekend, it is now clear that Nigeria is getting back to its rightful place on the continent. In the final of the men and women team events, I saw a new Nigerian team that fought well and showed that they are back. Unlike in the past when the Egyptians will not do much before finishing the game, in these two matches, they were on the edge of their seat throughout the matches and they were so nervous that after the encounters, their coaches were forced to congratulate Nigeria and acknowledged that they have to redouble their efforts if they are to conquer Nigeria at the next All Africa Games in Congo Brazzaville,” Oladapo said.

    The erstwhile scribe of the Nigeria Olympics Committee (NOC) was particularly impressed by the performance of the ITTF World Player of the Year, Aruna Quadri, who he said lived up to expectations by beating two top Egyptian players – Omar Assar and El-Sayed Lashin, saying that this goes to show that his global rating was not a fluke. “I am happy that Quadri proved that he is a world-class player with the way he played against the Egyptians because the difference was clear for everybody to see. He lifted his game and this paid off for him to be able to conquer Assar and Lashin. For the entire team, I am proud of them because they were not disgraced and the matches were so closed even my colleagues in the ATTF board commended us for getting our rhythm back in the game.