Lagos To Host Maiden DAWN Games

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The Lagos State Government will host the maiden edition of the DAWN Games (South-West Secondary School Sports Festival), come May 2014.
Chess event Lagos Team
This was the outcome of a three-day meeting held in Lagos last week, attended by stakeholders from the six (6) South West states, National Sports Commission and Nigeria School Sports Federation, among others.

DAWN, an acronym for Development Agenda for Western Nigeria, brings together the governments of the six (6) states of South-West Nigeria; Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Ekiti, Osun and Lagos, in a concerted strategic developmental process geared towards social, economic and regional integration. Sports is one of the tools being deployed to actualise the Agenda.

The DAWN Games are expected to create a forum for youths of the region to harness their natural sporting talents while also encouraging mass participation in sports at the grassroots level.

Speaking at the event, the Director General, DAWN Commission Mr. DipoFamakinwa,emphasized the role of sports in the DAWN Agenda and assured all of the commitment of the DAWN Commission to work for the success and sustainability of the DAWN Games.

The Lagos State Commissioner for Youth, Sports and Social Development, Mr. Wahid Enitan Oshodi stated the commitment of the Governor of Lagos State, BabatundeFashola to hosting a very successful maiden edition of the Games. “Governor Fashola believes that development of Sports at the grassroots is a major way of taking our youths off the streets”, Oshodi said.

The maiden edition which will hold from 16th-24th May 2014, will involve athletes in Junior Secondary Schools, (JSS) and Senior Secondary Schools (SSS) in the South-West states and will feature 12 sports; Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Chess, Football, Gymnastics, Scrabble, Swimming, Table Tennis, Tennis, Taekwondo and Volleyball. The meeting considered and ratified the Rules and Regulations for the Games, the Code of Conduct for athletes and officials, the Timelines and various other matters bordering on the hosting of a successful Games.

Also present were Commissioners for Sports for Oyo State, Alhaji Umar Faruk Alao; Osun Sate, Mr. Stephen Kola-Balogun; Ekiti State, Hon. Kayode Olaosebikan; Ogun State, Dr. Lanre Tejuoso. The Ondo State Commissioner of Sports was represented.

Others present include, Permanent Secretary, Office of Sports Lagos State, Dr. Abiola Awonuga; Principal Special Assistant to Governor of Lagos State on Grassroots Sports Development, Prince Wale Oladunjoye; Director of Sports Lagos State, Dr. Kweku Tandoh; Director of Sports Ekiti State, Mr. Isaac Elegbeleye; Director of Sports Ogun State, Mr. A.A. Faleti; Director Sports Administration Oyo State, Mrs. Olubisi Adegoke; Director of Finance and Administration, Office of Sports Lagos State, Alh. Basheer Braimoh; National Sports Commission South West II Zonal Cordinator, Mr. Peter Nelson; Secretary-General Nigeria School Sports Federation, Mrs. Bisi Joseph; Chairman, Technical Committee Lagos State Sports Council, Mr. Babatunde Fatai-Williams; among others.

At the end of the meeting, the stakeholders commended the Lagos State Government and Governor Babatunde Fashola in
particular, for taking up the hosting of the maiden edition of the DAWN Games.

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