MEDIA
Amobi, Pedro, Owumi, Ajunwa Others For Sportsville Award Honours
Organizers of the annual Sportsville Special Recognition Awards have unveiled the shortlist for the 5th edition coming up in Lagos on Friday, March 21st, 2025.
A release signed by the Secretary of the Awards Committee, Matthew Okugbe, shows that over 21 sports personalities and corporate organisations will be honoured in five categories.
In the Icon Category, the late Chief Okoya Thomas leads other four prominent sports gurus including Rotimi Pedro, Yemi Idowu, Osa Adun and Olympian Chioma Ajunwa.
Enugu Rangers’ General Manager, Ezeaku Amobi, emerges the Sports Administrator of the Year while Fanny Amun leads other nine personalities in the Special Recognition Category.
The list also includes:
Gafar Liameed, Chairman of Lagos State Football Association and Proprietor, of 36 Lions FC, Emmanuel Osahon, Proprietor, FC Robo, Amb Sunny Osayande, Managing Director, Big Joe Motors and Giadomeneco Masari, President Nigeria Cycling Federation.
Others are Coach Terry Eguaoje, Kingsley Awodi, MD Afrikings Homes, Prince Paul Ngadiuba, and Prof Florence Adeyanju, President of Nigeria Women in Sports (NAWIS).
In the Innovative Category, the initiator of the first-ever boxing league in Nigeria, the YUCATECO Boxing League, Yakubu Omolei Imadu, easily stands out while the NPFL Chief Operating Officer Davison Owumi joins Chris Green in the Achievers Category.
In the Corporate Category, Peculiar Ultimate and 1 x Bet are listed while the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, clinches the Sports Facilities of the Year award.
The Chairman of the Award Committee, Adekunle Salami, the Deputy Editor of Saturday Telegraph Newspaper, said the Award committee would not compromise on its credibility in picking the awardees hence the meticulous process of shortlisting those to be honoured.
“This Award is about honouring those who have contributed to the growth and development of sports in Nigeria over the years and I am happy that the committee has once again highlighted individuals and corporate bodies who have truly made an impact in Nigerian sports.
“I must say here that the process that threw up the above names has been meticulous.
“As we look forward to another exciting ceremony in March, I want to thank my committee members for their time and total commitment to this cause.”
An excited CEO of Sportsville, Frank Ilaboya, promised that this year’s event would be an upgrade to the previous ones.
“This is the 5th edition, and we are excited to hear and read positive comments about the Awards. Sportsville Special Recognition Awards is anchored on credibility, and we will continue to protect this.
“I want to thank the Award Committee led by the indefatigable Adekunle Salami for doing a great job.
“From the look of things, we are set for another glamorous event come on Friday, March 21st at the Prestigious Eko Club,” Ilaboya stated.
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By KUNLE SOLAJA.
Former Lagos State Governor and ex-Minister of Works, Babatunde Raji Fashola, has urged Nigeria to adopt sports as a central pillar of national economic development, describing it as an untapped solution to the country’s youth unemployment crisis.
Speaking at the public presentation of sports journalist Mumini Alao’s autobiography at the University of Lagos, Fashola said Nigeria’s policymakers have “ignored a solution hiding in plain sight” by failing to fully develop sports as a business.
“Sports is a profession that employs mainly young people from their teenage years to around 40.
“When I reflect on the Nigerian problem of youth employment, I tell myself that it persists perhaps because we have been ignoring the solution,” he stated.
Fashola cited global examples of sports as a major economic driver, including the English Premier League’s £3.36 billion GDP contribution to the UK economy in 2015, and Saudi Arabia’s recent sports investments that have added 1% to its GDP.
He recommended integrating sports into national development plans, revamping school curricula to nurture talent from an early age, developing modern sports infrastructure, and ensuring safety, security, and good governance in sports administration.
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Top dignitaries expected at the public presentation of frontline journalist Mumini Alao’s autobiography have been confirming their attendance at the event, which will hold at the Tayo Aderinokun Lecture Theatre, University of Lagos, on Sunday, 10th August 2025, at 1:00 pm.
Top of the bill is former Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Raji Fashola, who will deliver a lecture on the topic, ‘Rethinking the Current Football Business Model in Nigeria As a Catalyst for Sports Development.’ Fashola met Alao at the final of the ITTF Africa Youth Cup table tennis tournament at the Teslim Balogun stadium on Tuesday, 5th August and reassured the author of his preparedness for the lecture.
Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Honourable Mudashiru Obasa, also noted his commitment to the event in a message sent to the author, who is the speaker’s constituent in the Agege area of Lagos State, where he (Alao) grew up.
Obasa will be the chief presenter of the autobiography. He will be supported by Honourable Kabiru Amadu, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Sports.
Also confirming his attendance is the Chairman of the occasion, Mallam Shehu Dikko, Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC). Dikko will lead other top sports officials from the NSC, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) to listen to Fashola’s postulation on Nigerian football.
Rounding off the list of principal guests expected at the public lecture and book presentation is former sports minister Senator John Owan Enoh who is currently the Minister of State for Industry. Enoh wrote a foreword in the book alongside former Super Eagles captain, Nwankwo Kanu.
Other guests expected at the event are federal and states sports associations officials, Nigerian former Olympians and former Super Eagles players, journalists, family, friends, associates and fans of the book writer.
Dr. Mumini Alao, is an accomplished Nigerian sports journalist, author and media entrepreneur. He rose to the position of group managing director of Complete Communications Limited, publishers of widely-read popular journals, Complete Football magazine and Complete Sports newspapers. His last published book was “The Making of Nigeria’s Dream Team: Football Gold Medal Winners At Atlanta ’96 Olympic Games.”
Alao’s latest work, his autobiography, is a no-holds-barred narration of his professional and private lives spanning 60 years. Dr. Bolu John Folayan of the Department of Mass Communication, Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro will be the book reviewer, while SuperSports presenter, Mozez Praiz, will be the master of ceremony.
The event will be streamed live to a global audience on the YouTube channel of Complete Sports.
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All is set for the public presentation of the autobiography of renowned Nigerian sports journalist, Dr. Mumini Alao, with former Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), confirmed as the keynote speaker at the high-profile event.
Dr. Alao, a respected figure in Nigerian sports media and former Group Managing Director of Complete Communications Ltd., announced the development following a meeting with Fashola on Tuesday at the Teslim Balogun Stadium during the finals of the ITTF Africa Youth Cup.
Everyone anxiously awaits the launch of the autobiography. It is about one of Nigeria’s best sports journalists. This author has contributed appreciably to Nigeria’s sports literature.
The former governor, who was at the venue to present trophies at the continental table tennis event, confirmed his readiness to speak at the book launch scheduled for Sunday, August 10, at the University of Lagos.
According to Dr. Alao, Fashola will speak on the topic: “Rethinking the Current Football Business Model in Nigeria as a Catalyst for Sports Development.”
“I’m sure this topic will be of interest to all of us stakeholders in Nigerian football,” Dr. Alao remarked, while inviting members of the public and sports community to grace the event.
The book, chronicling Alao’s decades-long career in sports journalism, promises to be a compelling reflection on the evolution of Nigerian sports media, landmark events, and the personalities that have shaped the industry.
The launch is expected to attract a broad audience of media professionals, football administrators, athletes, and policymakers.
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