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The Lagos Chapter of the Federal Government College (FGC) Idoani Alumni Association has set its sights on transforming its annual Ekolympics into a bigger sporting festival after the successful staging of this year’s fourth edition, with organisers promising expanded participation, more sporting events and wider engagement across alumni chapters. Speaking during the event in Lagos, President of the Lagos Chapter, Babatunde Obadero, said the competition has grown significantly since it was introduced four years ago and has become one of the association’s defining traditions. “This is our fourth version of this and it’s a tradition we intend to uphold going forward,” Obadero said. “This is not where we started, but we’ve come a long way and we’re seeing progress. We expect next year’s version to be larger, bigger, more interesting and involve more members.”
He revealed that the association is already considering inviting members from other chapters across Nigeria and abroad to compete in future editions, describing the annual event as an avenue for sustaining lifelong friendships among old students.
Obadero said what distinguishes Ekolympics from ordinary alumni gatherings is its ability to unite members across generations in a relaxed atmosphere. “I have people here who left secondary school in 1990. They are grandfathers today, but they are here cheering their houses,” he said. “There are also people who literally left school two years ago. Regardless of age, we’re open to everybody because one thing brings us together.” The chapter president added that the intense rivalry among the four houses has become one of the event’s biggest attractions. “The most important reward isn’t even the medals or the monetary prizes,” he said. “It’s the bragging rights. Red House has been back-to-back champions and they’ve been teasing the rest of us for a whole year. We want somebody else to win.”
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Global President of the association, Alex Akindumila, said the continued success of Ekolympics demonstrates how alumni associations can remain relevant by creating opportunities beyond annual meetings. “I missed the last edition and I wasn’t happy about it,” he recalled. “I made up my mind I wasn’t going to miss this one because that’s the feeling this event gives everybody.” According to Akindumila, the competition has become an avenue for members to reconnect in ways that benefit their personal and professional lives. “It keeps us conscious of ourselves,” he said. “When we gather like this, welfare issues are discussed, business owners present what they do and members support one another. It creates another expression of our association beyond meetings.”
Vice President of the Lagos Chapter, Olamide Oladele-Obafemi, said organisers are determined to broaden participation by introducing sporting events that appeal to even more members. “As much as facilities permit, we’d like to add more games,” she said. “Maybe athletics, discus, shot put, games that will make Ekolympics more inclusive. Nothing should be removed. We simply want to keep adding.” She explained that the sporting festival has become the association’s most anticipated activity because it allows members who ordinarily would not interact to build lasting friendships. “We divide everyone into houses and that has enabled people to network more and know more people within the alumni,” she noted.
Chairman of the Sports Committee, Olaoye Orimolade, said selecting this year’s venue was a deliberate decision to improve members’ experience. “We initially had another venue,” he explained, “but it didn’t have facilities for swimming and some of the other games we wanted. We looked for somewhere that would allow more members to participate.” He disclosed that organisers hope to reintroduce electronic gaming competitions in future editions, noting that online games already form part of the association’s national alumni sporting events.
For participant Ayodeji Adewumi, who has featured in every edition of Ekolympics, the event has become a fixture on the alumni calendar. “I’ve been participating since they started,” he said. “Last year I captained my team and it was really enjoyable. This is a time to come together, play football, exercise and have fun.” Adewumi, however, believes attendance can improve in future editions. “I think the change of venue affected turnout this year,” he observed. “Over time, we just need to create more awareness and keep engaging members because when you have more turnout, there’s much more fun.”
While the medals and trophies eventually find winners each year, organisers insist the real victory lies in preserving the friendships, shared memories and spirit of unity that continue to define generations of Federal Government College Idoani alumni.
