In a bid to promote sports development and provide a supportive environment for emerging talents and elite athletes, the Director-General of the Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC), Lekan Fatodu, recently hosted Africa’s and Nigeria’s top scrabble champions, Enoch Nwali and John Aiyedun, at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere, Lagos.
The event aimed to formally congratulate Nwali and Aiyedun for their outstanding performance at the Asaph Zadok National Scrabble Championship in Ogun State, where they secured the first and second positions, respectively.
During the meeting, Fatodu commended the efforts of the Lagos State Scrabble Association and its effective leadership. He reaffirmed the Sports Commission’s dedication to supporting their initiatives.
“We will continue to collaborate with various stakeholders to discover and nurture more grassroots talent, moulding them into global champions,” he said.
Fatodu emphasized the importance of promoting sports at the grassroots level and encouraged Nwali to continue excelling in the world of scrabble.
“Lagos is blessed with a lot of talents in different areas. What we are positioned to do is essentially to continue to inspire, encourage, and motivate our athletes across the disciplines,” he stated, highlighting the state’s commitment to engaging young people’s skills and abilities to achieve global dominance.
Acknowledging Lagos’ leadership in scrabble, Fatodu noted that the achievements of Nwali and his team would inspire many of their peers. He also praised the Lagos State Scrabble Association’s passionate leadership and reiterated the Sports Commission’s commitment to supporting their activities.
“We’ll make efforts to ensure they receive well-deserved recognition at the highest level of authority in the state. The critical investment and contributions of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in sports talent development in Lagos are yielding more than desired results,” he concluded.
Chairman of the Lagos State Scrabble Association, Engr. Dipo Akanbi, lauded the state for its support, including monthly payments and other incentives.
Nwali’s story is particularly inspiring. Discovered by the Lagos State Scrabble Association while still a secondary school student in Ketu, he has, with the support of the Lagos State Sports Commission, risen to become a continental champion.
