Force Headquarters Abuja reign supreme at Olu of Mushin Tug of War Championship
By Francis Ajuonuma
It was a battle of power and grit at the maiden edition of the Olu of Mushin National Outdoor Tug of War Championship held at the National Stadium Surulere, Lagos on Saturday with Nigeria Police Force Headquarters, Abuja conquering all to emerge as champion.
The two-day championship organized by the Tug of War Nigeria Federation (TWNF) saw Nigeria Police Force Headquarters, Abuja captained by DSP Itam Agnes outpolled Lagos State Police Command in a keenly contested 640kg class final watched by fairly attended spectators and dignitaries of the Olu of Mushin, Oba Fatai Ayinla Aileru II despite the heavy downpour. The contest ended at two points to zero in favor of Force Headquarters Abuja.
Reacting to their all-conquering performance at the event, the team captain of Force Headquarters, DSP Itam attributed their success to determination and doggedness to achieve success even in a difficult situation and commended the Tug of War Nigeria Federation for making the championship possible.
“We’re excited to emerge champion of this maiden edition of the Olu of Mushin National Outdoor Tug of War Championship. It was a very competitive championship. The opponents we faced, Lagos State Police Command were no pushover and they gave us a tough challenge but in the end, we proved to them that we were better than them.
“Also, on behalf of my team, I want to say thanks to the Tug of War federation and the Olu of Mushin, Oba Fatai Ayinla Aileru II for making this championship possible,” she said.
Presenting certificates and medals to the athletes, representative of Oba Fatai Ayinla Aileru 11, Olu of Mushin, Baale of Oke Mushin, Chief Tajudeen Lasisi Faronbi said that the Monarch is happy to be associated with the tournament as it is capable of making Mushin youths more productive just as he promised that subsequent editions will be bigger, more interesting and entertaining.
In her remarks, Olori ( Mrs) Folake Akintunde, Olori Baale Matoriland, and Prince Yahya Abiola Aileru noted that sports being a unifying factor will help in checking youth restiveness as well as check crimes in the country; saying that they were happy with the turnout of athletes at the competition.
In his closing remarks, TWNF president, Isaac Osaikhiwu Isaac expressed appreciation to the first-class Monarch and other sponsors for partnering with the Federation in promoting the sport, noting that the future is bright for tug of war in Nigeria and the board is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that more championships are organized to further develop the sport and attract more youths to it.
The highlight of the event was exhibition tournaments organized for some secondary schools in Lagos while certificates were presented to all the participants with the overall winners going home with a certificate and trophy.
