Lagos unveils plan for athletics development

The Lagos state government, through the Committee for the Resuscitation of Athletics in Lagos, has reveal plans to restore the state to its former athletic glory.

Speaking at the launch of the Sydney Bialosa Asiodu Athletics Foundation at the Metropolitan Club, Kofo Abayomi Street in Victoria Island today, Lagos State governor, Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola said government cannot develop sport alone, but ‘the legitimacy of government, the  statue and goodwill of government can attract sponsors and support to get it right'.

The foundation, under the leadership of the former President of the Athletic Federation of Nigeria, Oluyomi  Adeyemi-Wilson, is  established in the memory of Sydney Bialosa Asiodu -a young Lagos athlete and member of the Nigerian team to the 1964 Olympics Games in Tokyo - who died while escaping from the Civil war in 1967.

They seek N20m to partner the state government in the development of athletics in the state and the head of the Asiodu's family, Chief Phillip Asiodu, a former Minister of Former Secretary/Minister of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources (1993) and Former Chief Economic Adviser to President Obasanjo (1999) pledged N3m on behalf of the family to kick-start the project.

Lagos state Commissioner for Youth, Sports and Social Development, Prince Ademola Adeniji Adele, who introduced the foundation plans, said the state is not benchmarking itself against other states but against best practices around the world.

He said the state in partnership with the foundation want to create routine low-cost competitions for the youths monthly and also organize "two big competitions annually with substantial rewards to motivate the young ones to become the Asiodus of this world"

The foundation committee members are:

• Oluyomi Adeyemi-Wilson
• Sam John
• Yusuf Ali
• Falilat Ogunkoya
• Henry Amike
• Mrs Ogunsanyo
• And two staff from Lagos state ministry of Youth, Sports and Social development

Who is Sydney Bialosa Asiodu?

• Member of Townsend House, Igbobi College from 1957-1963
• Senior Prefect and Head of School, Igbobi College, 1963
• Record-holder 100 yards, 200 yards and Long Jump
• Graduated from University of Nigeria, Nsukka with a B.Sc degree in 1967
• Fastest sprinter in Lagos, 1960
• Member of the Nigerian Junior Academicals to Ghana, 1963
• Member of the Tokyo 1964 Olympic Games Athletics team  (100 yards, 4x100 yards)
• Was a teacher at Hussey College, Warri when he was killed age 23 when hostilities of the Nigerian Civil War started in the area in 1967