It is as if Abeokuta did not miss a single beat since the end of the National Sports Festival, several weeks ago. The town simply changed gears, and continued to dance to a new musical tune in a seamless transition to the hosting of another major sports festival.
For those coming into the town for the first time since the end of the memorable National festival in June, it would appear to be a continuation of the celebration of sports, with Abeokuta playing a big role as a new and enticing centre for major sports events in Nigeria.
In the past 4 days, the ancient city, a custodian of chapters in the story of Black civilization, is playing host again to hundreds of international sports visitors. Its newly renovated sports edifice, M.K.O international Sports Arena, is being tested again for organization and hospitality as the young athletes from over 40 African countries have assembled to showcase their talents at the 3rd African Athletics combined Under-18 and Under-20 Championships.
The world is watching a preview of the next generation of Africa’s representatives for the next decade, at least, on the global stage of Track and Field. After 4 days of competition, the best of these unknown junior athletes would start to become known Stars and the centre of global attention.
Nigeria was offered to host the event following Algeria’s failure to meet some commitments. Nigerian officials presented Abeokuta as a suitable alternative following the new and modern facilities that the Ogun State government had put in place for the National Sports Festival. The experiences of the thousands of participants during the Games were the incentive for taking up the National Sports Commission’s offer to African Athletics to host.
For the Ogun State government, accepting to host of behalf of the National Sports Commission was a no-brainer, following the huge boost to the economy and commercial activity of the last festival to the city.
It was a win-win for everyone, particularly for Ogun State with the big advertisement of the State Capital as a friendly, peaceful and safe place to visit and a new destination-of-choice for major sports activities.
The city of Abeokuta has not missed a beat since the National Sports Festival. The celebration of sports and commerce has continued, with the ongoing athletics events anchored to the success of the National Sports Festival in a seamless transition.
So, here we are.
The 3rd African Athletics Under-18 and Under-20 championship is going on, showcasing to the world the next generation of Africa’s best athletes.
It has been a great appetizer these past 4 days for those that have taken the trouble to go to the Arena and be a part of what is going on in the main bowl.
The place is a truly beautiful edifice to behold, with everything looking prim, colourful and functional.
The athletes and the relatively small number of spectators are having a sporting ball. The organisation of the events has been very good. Presentations of the athletes and awards have been colourfully laced with some razzmatazz copied from more advanced sports entertainment cultures, on display here for the first time.
Great commentaries on a good public address system, are accompanied by well choreographed musical infusions that enhance the audience experience.
The city of Abeokuta has easily absorbed the number of participants, a fraction of those at the National Sports Festival. This is also a fewer number of visitors milling around the games. Understandably, junior athletics are not a major crowd puller. As a developmental program without known stars it does not attract spectators like bees to nectar.
The good news is that the events are, nevertheless going on without any major hitches. On the surface of things, the coordination between officials of the different events from different countries is reflected in the happy faces all around.
The coverage of the events for LIVE television and online streaming have been very good, a happy return to a forgotten, good, old broadcasting tradition.
The stadium complex has become a hive of commercial activities again, except that this time, because of the short period of the championship (5 days) commercial activities have been limited to trading and merry-making. During the day, the temporary stalls erected around the huge stadium complex environment are jammed with human traffic doing brisk business of buying and selling.
At night, loud music, a throng of youths hang around the outdoor bars, lounges and restaurants all night long!
The stadium is well-lit throughout the night, with security officials embedding unobtrusively into the environment.
The African Athletics Junior championship has provided the government of Ogun State a compass, a glimpse of understanding into ‘sports economy’ and what can drive it – sports events and programs on a regular basis to necessitate maintenance and regular usage of the facilities, engagement with the citizens, and promoting commercial activities.
Tomorrow, Sunday, 20th July 2025, the championship ends. The climax, I am told, will be another masterclass of entertainment – a mixture of culture, technology, sports and pyrotechnics. It will mark another great collaboration between the National Sports Commission and the government of Ogun State under a driver of the development of a model of Sports Economy in Nigeria, Prince Dapo Abiodun, who is adding yet another feather of sports to his swelling cap!
SOCA Convocation!
This morning, the 19th day of July 2025, the 16th convocation ceremony of my legacy project, the Segun Odegbami International College and Sports Academy, SOCA, the first multi-sports, co-educational, fully-residential, model, full-time sports secondary institution for 10 to 17 year-old boys and girls, will take place at the Eagle7 Bamboo Garden, Wasimi, Ogun State.