The Chairman of Apapa-Iganmu Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Hon. Jimoh Olawale Saliu, popularly known as Olugbani, has received a prestigious award from the National Institute for Sports (NIS) Students’ Union Government (SUG) in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the growth of youth and development of sports
The award was presented on Friday, 21 August, 2026, during the NIS SUG Student Awards and Dinner Night held at the NIS Gymnasium Hall, National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos. The presentation was made by the National Institute for Sports School Registrar, Mr. Belmond Benson.
More than a ceremonial honour, the award represents a growing acknowledgement of Olugbani’s sustained investment in sports and youth development, particularly his efforts to use sports as a platform for empowerment, talent discovery and employment creation for young Nigerians.
His recognition by the NIS SUG is coming against the backdrop of a number of youth-oriented sports initiatives and achievements associated with his support.
One of the most visible beneficiaries is FC Phoenix Queens, popularly known as the Olugbani Girls, a female football team that has continued to make its mark in competitive football.
The team recently secured an impressive second-place finish at the 9th Senator Anthony Adefuye Football Championship, Women’s Category, held at the Bariga Sports Complex.
That performance adds to a growing list of achievements recorded by the team in tournaments where it has competed.
The team had won the first place and gold medal in the Orumogegе Female Football Tournament in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, and emerged as second-place winners at the Ayisat Yusuf Aromire Foundation Football Tournament on January 3, 2026.
It had previously finished as runners-up at the 5th edition of the Afusat Olabimpe Football Championship in Ikorodu, Lagos, on February 15, 2026, winning the silver trophy.
These results underscore a broader philosophy behind Olugbani’s intervention in sports, providing young athletes with opportunities to compete, develop their talents and potentially build sustainable careers from their abilities.
Beyond football competitions, his youth-development initiative has also extended to professional training. Four youths are currently being sponsored on specialised programmes, including Professional Certificate in Sports Management and Advanced Coaching Football courses.
Such investments are particularly significant in an environment where many young people possess sporting talent but lack the financial resources, technical exposure and professional pathways required to transform that talent into a career.
By supporting training alongside grassroots competition, Hon. Jimoh’s approach seeks to address both sides of the equation, developing athletes while also building the pool of trained professionals capable of managing, coaching and sustaining the sports industry.
The NIS SUG award, therefore, can be seen not simply as recognition of past achievements but as an endorsement of the potential of sports-driven youth development as a tool for social and economic empowerment.
For the council Chairman, the recognition also places a greater spotlight on the responsibility that comes with investing in the next generation. His support for female football, in particular, highlights the importance of creating platforms where young women can compete, develop confidence and pursue opportunities within the sporting ecosystem.
The award ceremony was attended by members of the Chairman’s cabinet, including: the Chief of Staff, Mr. Fatai Olanrewaju; Special Adviser on Sports Development, Hon. Olanrewaju Subair; Senior Special Assistant on Sports, Prince Ganiyu Adetunji; Alhaji Moruf Ishola; Assistants Ibrahim Ajisafe, as well as members of his family.
As the applause from the NIS SUG award subsides, the story behind the honour remains one of investment beyond trophies, an investment in young people, sporting talent and the possibility of turning passion into profession.
For the Olugbani Girls and the youths benefiting from his training programmes, the award is more than a plaque. It is a recognition of a development model in which sports becomes a pathway to opportunity, skills, employment and a more promising future for Nigerian youths.
