…….As SKIBANJ Storms Ejigbo With Grassroots Football Revolution,Set To Cover 57 LGAs.
Emmanuel Clement
The streets of Ejigbo Local Council Development Area (LCDA) in Lagos State came alive on Saturday as the Executive Chairman, Aare Taoreed Adebayo Taiwo (TAT), officially declared open the Ejigbo edition of the Lagos Street Soccer 3.0 tournament.
The colourful ceremony, held amidst cheers from hundreds of residents and football enthusiasts, had in attendance the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Grassroots Sports Development, Hon. Adebanji Adeoye Atewogboye (SKIBANJ),the Executive Chairman,Aare Taoheed Adebayo Taiwo,the Vice Chairman of Ejigbo LCDA,Hon Nicholas Ike Ambimbola,the Secretary to the Local Government,Hon Otuyemi Yemisi,the APC Chairman, youth leaders, party faithful and community stakeholders. 
Declaring the tournament open,Aare TAT said his administration is deliberate about youth engagement through sports, noting that the demographic importance of youths in Ejigbo and Lagos State cannot be overemphasized.
“In line with our S.H.E.I.L.D agenda, sports development is a major part of it. Just a few months ago, we had the maiden edition of Gloved Up Ejigbo and now we are having a Street Soccer Competition.”
“It’s about keeping our youth engaged. As we built the roads, infrastructure and social amenities for them, we improved health service and education for them, we also need to keep them engaged through sports development,”
“it’s going to be continuous. We can only appeal to our youths to be law abiding and follow the rules of the game to be a champion,” he stated.
He announced a prize package of N2.25 million for the competition, with the champion taking N1 million, first runner-up N750,000 and second runner-up N500,000.
The council boss charged participants to imbibe sportsmanship, saying: “My words for the youth is to play with the rules of the game.
“If any team wins today, congratulations to them and continue to sharpen their skills, and if otherwise any team loses today, it’s not the end of the world. The loser can always come back better.”
He reiterated that the All Progressives Congress (APC) remains the only platform that guarantees youth advancement.
“At the end of the day, know that the only progressive platform that can continue to support youth advancement, progress and evolution is the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“Continue to support the progressive party. Vote for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for second term, vote for Dr. Kadiri Obafemi Hamzat as our next Governor of Lagos State, vote for Sen. Idiat Oluranti Adebule as our Senator Lagos West, vote for Hon. Moshood Oloyede Obe as House of Representatives and our performing Hon. Ladi Ajomale as Lagos State House of Assembly,” TAT added.
He also commended SKIBANJ, describing his work as wonderful and assuring him of Ejigbo LCDA’s continuous collaboration.
Speaking with newsmen,the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Grassroot and Sports Development,Hon Adebanji (SKIBANJ) said the tournament is a strategic tool for implementing the T.H.E.M.E.S Plus agenda of the Sanwo-Olu administration.
“It is what we have been doing to promote our T.H.E.M.E.S Plus agenda using sports as a tool to keep our youths out of the streets through grassroots sports development,” he said.
“Look at the crowd using this sport to keep the community busy from idleness and to reduce the crime rate. Our plan is to extend the Lagos Street Soccer Stars tournament across the 57 LGAs and LCDAs, and that’s what we are currently doing; we have done Oshodi and this is Ejigbo LCDA edition. We are going to another local government very soon.”
Lending his voice,the Supervisor for Youths and Sports, Ejigbo LCDA, Hon. Razak AbdulSallam, said the initiative is about catching talents young.
“It will promote the youths of Ejigbo LCDA generally, because every footballer starts from somewhere, and at the grassroots level we have to catch the talents young.
“We believe that with what’s happening here today, we scout everybody on the field, and one or two of them will make his way to professional football. JJ Okocha, Amunike and others started somewhere like this,” he said.
Investigator news reports that action on the pitch lived up to the billing as opening day produced a flurry of goals and drama.
In the first match of the day, Nurudeen Obe Street defeated Agbeola Street 5-1 to announce their title ambitions in emphatic fashion.
The second match was a keenly contested affair between Double Stars 2 and Adebayo 1. The game, which ended in favour of Double Stars 2, was not without drama as jersey number 6 of Double Stars 2 was shown a red card for a rough tackle on jersey number 2 of the opposing team. Despite being reduced to two players, the team showed resilience to hold on to victory.
Speaking after the match, Obinna Nonye Okenesi of Double Stars Road team said: “Our match is entertaining. We were able to win because we are a strong and resilient team, even when we got a red card we had to play with a short one.
“We were brave, strong, and able to control the game while defending. This program will help a lot of youths who don’t have a platform to shine at the grassroots to display their talent.”
On the other hand, Caleb Olamilekan Adekansa of Adebayo Street team rued his team’s missed chances: “I felt very sad and devastated.
“Unfortunately, we lost the match. We really played well, myself and my team. We tried our best but due to some errors that we made. Kudos to the organizer, they really tried. This initiative will bring some players to the limelight.” 
Other results on the day saw Fadu Street edge Peace Centre 3-2 in a five-goal thriller, while Moshalashi Aigbaka Street cruised to a comfortable 3-0 victory over Baale Street.
The tournament, which will be played across political wards in Ejigbo LCDA, is designed to bring football closer to the people, promote unity, healthy rivalry and social inclusion, while providing a platform for young talents to be discovered.
With the impressive start and massive turnout, attention now shifts to the next round of ward matches as teams battle for the N1 million grand prize.
