LASU Demands More Infrastructure In Own Sports Centre

*** As Sports Commission Pledges To Include LASU In 2019 Budget

The Vice Chancellor, Lagos State University, Professor Olarenwaju Fagbohun receiving a warm handshake from the Director General, Lagos State Sports Commission, Babatunde Bank-Anthony after the  presentation of the sports equipment to the management of LASU today at Hussam Thomas Okoya Indoor Sport Hall, LASU Sport Complex.

By LOVETH AZODO, Lagos

The Vice Chancellor, Lagos State University (LASU), Professor Olarenwaju Fagbohun has urged the Director General, Lagos State Sports Commission, Babatunde Bank-Anthony, not to relent in his efforts in improving the standards of the university sports centre.

He spoke against the backdrop of the university administration’s desire to make its sports center exceptionally equipped to facilitate its being a pride of the Lagos state University and Lagos State as a whole.

In response to the University’s request, Director General, Lagos State Sports Commission, while presenting some sports equipment to the University management at Hussam Thomas Okoya Indoor Sport Hall, LASU Sport Complex, pledged to include LASU in the commission’s 2019 budget.

Expressing his gratitude to the DG and his team, the VC said “While I’m going to be thanking you and the entire university for what you have done for us I am going to rapidly and aggressively like Oliver Twist say sir, you can do more for us, we can leverage on you, we can ride on ur back to turn this place to something else, something that will be the pride not only of the Lagos State University, LASU is just a spectre in that scheme, it will be the pride of Lagos State.”

In his address, the DG noted that most of his team members went through LASU, he said “to keep the glory of the University paying back and giving back will always take us where we want to get to and will also open the way of younger ones who believe, because rightnow sports is a major business, it’s a collective thing we must be involved in one way or another.”

“I assure you that in the next meeting of the Lagos state sports trust fund which I sit as well with my chairman, it will be on our agenda that sports activities in LASU should be visited by the trust fund.”

Some of the equipment presented by the DG includes two table tennis board, ten table tennis bats and rubbers, a pair of complete basketball upright, two volleyball net upright, three power lifting bench, complete set of power lifting weight, ten IPC waist band, ten match football, four power lifting wood chair, eight basketball wood chair, 35 table tennis net to mention but a few.

Speaking on the equipment donated he noted that although they are few the commission is set to do more.

The DG stated that the commission in his administration will put in place policies that will enable the sports commission to take LASU sports as part of their responsibilities even after his administration and the Vice Chancellor’s administration.

“Beyond that we are looking at the private sector in collaboration with our trust fund, one of our major focus is how to upgrade here to a world standard sports facility.”

The VC suggested that two or three people should be selected as arrow heads of the project and timeline should also drawn so as to achieve it’s desired goal.

“We will extract the timeline on how we will move rapidly to move this place forward, we know the rule of sports, all these ideal hands we have will be effectively and constructively be engaged by the time this place becomes functional a lot of other things we can do with these facility.”

The VC assures the commission that the University will make very good use of the equipment such that Lagos State and Nigeria will be proud of the facilities and the output that will emerge from these equipment.

Speaking on his satisfaction with the equipment the VC said ” the journey of a thousand miles begins with a step, the DG has demonstrated the desire to continue supporting the University with the sports trust fund, within a short time Lagos State University will be a prime place in terms of sports facilities.