Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Professor Folasade T. Ogunsola, OON, FAS has promised to pursue efforts to ensure the completion of a sports hostel for student-athletes of the institution.
The University helmswoman stated this on Thursday, December 7, 2023, when she received the student-athletes of the institution who recently returned from their participation in different sport championships.
The Vice-Chancellor’s interaction with the student-athletes was marked by a sense of camaraderie and mutual respect.
One of the athletes, Doko Oluwatimilehin, a 500L student of the Department of Pharmacy emerged winner of the 2023 West Africa Championship which held in Lagos, and took home the cash prize of two thousand dollars ($2000) after gathering 1,163 points from a total of nineteen (19) wins and nine (9) losses in the three-day competition.
Similarly, the trio of Olamide Ogundinmu(Year 3, Guidance & Counseling); Olujimi Awojobi (Year4, Human Kinetics, and Health Education: HKHE), and Miss Adebukunola Onadeko (Year 5, Civil and Environmental Engineering) were part of the victorious volleyball teams that participated at the Lagos Inter-Tertiary Games, beating all comers to clinch the coveted prizes in both the Male and Female categories. They also went away with cash prizes of One Hundred Thousand Naira (N100,000:00) for the categories.
The students accompanied by the Chairman, UNILAG Sports Council, Professor Afolabi Lesi; Director, University of Lagos Sports Center, Dr. Joseph Awoyinfa; Honorary Coach James Aina; Coach Taiwo Adeniran and Coach Funmi Otegbeye were welcomed with warmth and enthusiasm by Professor Ogunsola along with the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic & Research), Professor Bola Oboh and Acting Registrar, Mrs. Olakunle Makinde.
While expressing commendation and pride in their accomplishments, Professor Ogunsola underscored the importance of sports in enhancing the mental well-being of students, adding that “UNILAG values the holistic development of its students and recognizes the significance of sports in fostering discipline, teamwork, and leadership skills”.
She also commended the athletes for their dedication, hard work, and commitment to excellence, emphasizing that their achievements not only brought honor to themselves but also to the university as a whole.
The Vice-Chancellor encouraged the athletes to continue to strive for excellence both on the field and in their academic pursuits, underscoring the university’s belief in their potential to make significant contributions to society.
Her words “we want to improve our sports culture. As such we will endeavour to provide athletes with access to training facilities, well-experienced coaching staff, and academic assistance”.
In his remarks, a visibly elated Professor Lesi thanked the Vice-Chancellor for being a sports-loving personality, particularly as the university under her leadership has shown commitment to providing support and resources for student-athletes. He also commended the student-athletes, describing them as exceptional athletes.
