Kunle Adelabu
Engr. Monsuru Oladipupo Akanbi, the Chairman of the Lagos State Scrabble and Monopoly Association, has revealed that the driving force behind popularizing the games and going to the grassroots is to have divisional and state leagues for Scrabble and Monopoly in the state.
He made the revelation in an interview with THE IMPACT during the Ikorodu Divisional U -15 Scrabble and Monopoly Tournament for students, which was held at the Asiwaju Olorunfunmi Basorun Hall, Oreyo Community Grammar School, Igbogbo, on Thursday, August 19, 2021.
Engr. Akanbi also added that Lagos is a state that is commited to detecting and nurturing talents to stardom.
He also said that the state sports commission is planning to have a sports hub where necessary facilities will be made available with instructors for youths to attend and excel.
“Lagos State has been at the centre of talents nurturing. We have some expert players who have developed into international reckoning. One of them is currently in Europe. He came fifth in the last World tourney in Europe. He started as a secondary student in Lagos State”, he said.
“We are going to be having games hubs and the idea is to engage our pupils in sports most times on weekends when they can call in to play. We are going to provide playing materials, for instance; scrabble and monopoly which is my own jurisdiction.
We are going to have facilitators on ground to offer technical assistance. That way, we can engage our youths in quality undertakings so that we can drive them away from social vices. That is in the pipeline”, he revealed.
“The games hub will be located in the (five) divisions.
“Our drive, as an association, is to get the game to a level that we will be having divisional and state leagues. That is our plan”, Engr. Akanbi said while revealing the plan of the association to THE IMPACT.
The Chairman of the Lagos Scrabble and Monopoly Association also said that the association and sports commission in general have good presence in all the councils and divisions of the state.
“In addition, the Lagos State Sports Commission will be coming to Ikorodu for another round of tournament for games and scrabble is one of them”, he told THE IMPACT.
“What we do, as an association, is to leverage on our coaches who are on ground in Ikorodu and other parts of the state mentoring in different secondary and primary schools. We are leveraging on them to be tournament directors and educators so that we can get more pupils to play scrabble and monopoly.
“The association is on ground and running”, he confirmed.
