IT IS A GOAL
Text of the Address Delivered by the Vice-Chancellor, University of Ilorin,
Ilorin, Prof. Is-haq O. Oloyede, on the occasion of the Inauguration of the
Local Organising Committee (LOC) of West Africa University Games 2011 (to
be Hosted by the University of Ilorin) on Thursday March 25, 2010 at the
Auditorium, University of Ilorin, Ilorin.
IT IS A GOAL
It is our boundless joy and honour at the University of Ilorin to welcome you to this momentous
occasion. It is our hope that at the end of today’s activities, you shall want to join us soon in celebrating
what is arguably the most potent unifying force for our country: sports. I also hope that all of us will want
to contribute our quota to making the 13 th edition of the West Africa University Games (WAUG), to be
hosted by this University, a phenomenal success. I want to thank you all for coming and I wish you a
memorable evening with us at the better by far University.
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, we live in a world where despite our common origin and many other
similarities, artificial matters continue to hew us apart. The centre seems not to hold and the world is at
war with itself, resulting in preventable loss of several lives and property. In Nigeria, the combination of
deadly politics, divisive tactics, excessive greed, sheer lack of tact and poor governance has made life an
endless running battle that millions of people fight on a daily basis. It is also unfortunate that those who
should know, as a result of mischief and selfishness, continue to play to the gallery and we all appear to
be sitting precariously at the edge of a precipice.
Peace, joy, health and good life that constitute a lofty goal that all of us desire elude many of our people
because rather than emphasise the centripetal factors that would draw us to the centre, make us reason
along together, make us pursue the same vision, centrifugal forces are what we allow to hold sway. This
should not continue and it is high time we re-direct our attention and redeem our future. 2011 is almost
here.
When I say 2011, to us in Unilorin, it is the year we’ll be hosting the West African community for the first
regional sports carnival to be held in this University. But we do not forget that to all of us Nigerians, the
political class especially, it is the year of elections. The interface between the two events happening next
year is that we should play politics with the spirit of sportsmanship. When two opposite teams play, what
we encounter is that at the end of the match, the players shake hands, they embrace. As no condition is
permanent, it is known that he who does not win today will win tomorrow and every side thus is a winner
having put in its best. That is what I think is the most important lesson of sports for us as a nation:
friendship, trust and team spirit. I know Nigerians do not care if all the national team is made up of the
1
members of the same family as long as they deliver goals. Sports, it is important to note, serves as an
agent of national integration and international cooperation. This is why the University of Ilorin is hosting
this sports event not only behalf of itself and Ilorin but also on behalf of Kwara State and Nigeria at large.
This is also why the planning of this important event taking place next year cannot be done by the
University of Ilorin alone but in conjunction with the stakeholders in sports in Kwara State and the
nation.
The role of sports in attaining wellness and development cannot be over-emphasised. As man is the sole
purposive agent of development, all his activities revolve round a sound mind and a healthy body. Sports
helps in making hearts sound and making bodies active and agile. We are all aware of how through
sports, people have broken the barriers of race, poverty, class and attained the best and are being
reckoned with in the world. I need not mention names because we are all familiar with stars who have
attained excellence and global reckoning as a result of their sporting distinction. Having a sound heart in
a healthy body is a goal that all of us should pursue. It is a goal we all need to score.
Sports is also a significant component of the Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), which Time
magazine described last year as one of the two scientific discoveries of the 21 st century. At the University
of Ilorin, we agree with the cellular biologist, Dr. Bruce Lipton, who said that “95% of all illness is caused
by stress and 100% of stress is caused by wrong beliefs”. One of these wrong beliefs is that sports is not
important and it is a belief we do not share. This is why we take sports with seriousness and our staff and
students participate in local, national and international competitions.
At the 9th Nigerian Universities Staff Games at Ahmadu Bello University last year (December) for
instance, our staff won four gold, three silver and five bronze medals in the eight different sports they
participated in. Our students also recorded the same feat in the Nigerian University Games (NUGA) held
this year at Nnamdi Azikwe University, Nssuka, where the 52 athletes and 13 officials that represented
the University returned home with many gold, silver and bronze medals. That we are hosting WAUG next
year is a further attestation to our commitment to the promotion of sports as a veritable means of
promoting friendship not only at the national level but at the regional level. We are leaving no stone
unturned in ensuring its success as we believe that success is a goal that is worth working for. Today’s
2
activities and the inauguration of the Local Organising Committee, under the chairmanship of our
amiable Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Prof. A.B. Olayemi, are a further step forward in the direction of
promoting friendship, wellness and development.
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, our journey to hosting WAUG began with the collection of the flag
in the University of Ghana Stadium on March 30, 2008 at the closing ceremony of the 12 th edition of the
competition. The then Honourable Minister of Sports, Barrister Abdurahman H. Gimba, graciously
received the hosting flag at the event on behalf of Nigeria. I use this medium to thank him for his
support. Subsequently, we formed the Steering Committee which met constantly over a year and
submitted its report on Tuesday, June 30, 2009. We then began the implementation of the
recommendations of the Committee, made necessary contacts and we are here today formally
inaugurating the LOC.
The membership of the LOC includes the following:
Prof. A. B. Olayemi
Prof. K.L. Ayorinde
Mrs. O.O. Oyeyemi
Mrs. J.A. Fadayomi
Prof. B.J. Bojuwoye
Representative of the Federal Ministry of Education
Representative of the Federal Ministry of Sports and Youth Development
Representative of the National Universities Commission
Chairman, Senate Committee on Sports
Chairman, House Committee on Sports
Commissioner for Sports, Kwara State
Commissioner for Education, Kwara State
Commissioner of Police, Kwara State Command
Representative of the State Security Service
Representative of the Federal Road Safety Corps
Representative of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN)
3
Chairman
Member
“
“
“
“
“
“
“
“
“
“
“
“
“
“
Representative of the NUJ Correspondents Chapel
Representative of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps
Prof. J.F. Olorunfemi
Mr. Ayo Sijuwola
Dr. (Mrs) O.R. Karim
Prof. S.A. Abdulkareem
Prof. E.A. Ogunsakin
Prof. A.A. Adesoye
Prof. J.A. Olorunmaiye
Mr. S.S. Sinkaye
Prof. F.A.Oladele
Dr. (Mrs) M.O. Ajiboye
Mr. M.A. Adedimeji
Dr. M.O. Yusuf
Prof. O.O. Obiyemi
Dr. I.I.O. Amali
Prof. R.A. Lawal
Prof. Ayodele Jimoh
Dr. O. Oyerinde
Prof. M.L.Emiola
Mr. Hameed Adio
Alh. Kayode Omotose
Mr. S.T. Adeoti
Mrs. Bola Esan
Mr. Bayour Issah
Engr. Kola Shittu
Mr. Bello O. Kabir, President, Students Union
Mr. Akorede Seun, Sports Secretary, Students Union
Dr. A.E. Talabi
4
“
“
“
“
“
“
“
“
“
“
“
“
“
“
“
“
“
“
“
“
“
“
“
“
“
“
“
“
Secretary
We call on the corporate bodies (public and private) to join hands with us in providing world class facilities for the
games. We thank those of them who have already indicated their interest in being part of the project and we look
forward to receiving formal notifications of their interest.
Once again, I heartily welcome you to the University of Ilorin and I wish you a pleasurable evening as you join us
at the University stadium after this inauguration for the friendly match between our team and Kwara Football
Academy. Please join us to achieve more successes. It is a goal for us; it is a goal for you.
Thank you very much.
5