- By Demola Atobaba, Ado-Ekiti
As 2025 National Sports Festival event slated for Ogun State draw nearer, a All Progressives Congress chieftain who also doubled as Chairman of the Ekiti State Kick-boxing Association, Prince Adekunle Ogidi has graciously donated equipment and training kits worth several millions of Naira as part of efforts to boost kick-boxing activities in Ekiti.
Some of the items donated include, several units of groin guards, chin guards, mouth guards, 90kg punching bags, fighting shorts as well as several units of sparing gloves, head guards, kicking pad, coaching thighs target and coaching chest guards that were procured directly from China based on the list of items requested by the coaches in the State.
Speaking during the official presentation of the equipment in Ado-Ekiti, Prince Adekunle Ogidi explained that the gesture was to complement Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s huge investment in sports which has inspired many youths to participate in sports thus effectively taking many youngsters off the streets and successfully reducing crime rate in the State.
He hinted that the donation of the sports equipment was to further support young boys and girls as well as other talents in the State to achieve their aspirations of becoming national, continental and global champions in the sports.
Urging benefitting sportsmen and their coaches to make judicious use of the donated items, Ogidi advised them to be well-focused and properly positioned to win laurels for the State in the forthcoming National Sports Festival.
The Association Chairman pledged to give Gold medalists amongst the contingent to the National Sports Festival, a sum of N100,000 of Silver and Bronze medalists would each receive N50,000 and N30,000 respectively.
Receiving the items, the State Governor, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji who was represented by the Technical Advisor on Sports Development, Dr. Olusola Osetoba, said his administration would continue to use Sports as platform for fostering social inclusion as well as engaging and empowering youth in the State.
He said apart from the ongoing redevelopment of the Oluyemi Kayode Stadium and construction of a world class indoor sports hall in Ado-Ekiti, his administration would continue to use sports as a powerful platform for youths to develop essential life skills such as teamwork, promote physical activity, skill development and promote positive values such as leading the war on drugs and other social vices.
Governor Oyebanji expressed happiness that the decision of his administration to appoint patriotic and committed Ekiti sons and daughters as Chairmen and members of sports associations was already yielding fruits with the positive news coming from sporting associations in the State.
Speaking with TopNews shortly after the presentation of the materials, the Senior Special Adviser to the Ekiti State Governor on Traffic Management, Hon. Israel Adesokan also known as Jaru charged the benefitting athletes and officials of the Kick-boxing Association to make judicious use of the equipment.
Adesokan enjoyed them to train hard in order to win laurels at the National Sports Festival holding in Ogun State this year, stressing that there is no short cut to greatness in life.
