Family remembers late Chief Justice Taslim Elias

There are better and indelible ways of immortalizing one’s patriarch that will constantly remind people of the departed and his virtues, instead of throwing lavish remembrance shindigs. For the family of the late Chief Justice of Nigeria, Taslim Olawale Elias, they chose to celebrate the ideals of their father with a memorial youth soccer competition to inspire millions of youths through sports. According to the organisers, they decided to open up the tournament to promote education along with sports as a means of erasing poverty by training the players on how to take charge of their future.

The eighth edition of the competition was held on Monday November 11 at the Campos Stadium, Lagos Island. The tournament —for the Under-15 Boys and Girls— attracted students from different schools across Lagos who stormed the venue in various colours to compete.

Spotlight gathered that 64 teams participated in the football competition while there was also Taslim Olawale Elias Literary Competition which kicked off this year. The event, held amid fanfare, also had students’ representatives and their teachers squared up in dancing competitions with various prizes for all the participants.

The Elias family members, who were excited with the success of this year’s event, promised to make next year’s edition more colourful and elaborate, in terms of participation and prizes to be won. Late Justice Taslim Elias was the first academic to be made the Chief Justice of Nigeria. He was a Professor and Dean of Faculty of Law at the University of Lagos.