Ronik School Highlights Benefits of Sports to Academic Excellence, Unity

Sports have been described as a powerful tool for character building, teaching resilience, respect, strategy and the importance of supporting one another.

The Chairman, Board of Directors, Ronik Group of Schools, Mr Chris Alabi, stated this at the recently concluded second edition of the Alabi Oyo Tournament in Lagos.

The event, which was held at the football pitch of Ronik Comprehensive College, Ejigbo, attracted athletes from 14 secondary schools and sports academies in Lagos and Bayelsa. They competed in two categories – under 13 and under 16.

The three-day event was well attended by students, school staff, parents, and well-wishers, who were all thrilled by the skills on display by the students.

An elated Alabi, who is the Proprietor of the Ronik Group of Schools, observed that “the energy on the field, the spirit of sportsmanship and determination shown by every player, have been truly inspiring”. He promised bigger events in subsequent years.

Amazingly, both the junior and senior teams of the Bayelsa Sports Academy, Kolokuma Opokuma Local Government Area, won the two available cups.

The final day of the football tourney was Friday, November 21. In an earlier match, Team Ronik Under 13 won the bronze medal. Ronik Under 13 was edged out on penalties by Bayelsa Sports Academy, which went on to the finals. At the runners-up Under 13 clash, Ronik Under 13 defeated Team MacDona Under 13 by 5-3 penalty kicks.

To win the coveted Under 13 category cup, Team Bayelsa Sports Academy defeated Ap College by 4 -1 in a partly rainy final.

In the under-16 final, Team Bayelsa Sports Academy defeated the host, Team Ronik, via a penalty shootout. The game had ended 0-0 at full time. Then commenced a session of five penalty kicks, which ended 3-3. Ronik keeper, Ilesanmi Oluwaseyi, who won the Best Keeper of the tournament, saved two penalties to keep his team in the contest. However, there was another round of penalty kicks, which ended 3-2 in favour of Team Bayelsa. Ap College won the bronze medal.

An elated Mrs Joan Woyengpreye, a director in the Bayelsa State Sports Academy, who led Team Bayelsa to the competition, attributed the successful turnout to strong support by the Bayelsa State Government, the State Commissioner for Sports, Olympic Champion Daniel Igali, hard work and prayers by the students.

An interesting highlight of this year’s contest was a novelty match involving girls. The organisers plan to involve ladies next year.

Principal Consultant, Ronik Group of Schools, Dr Adebola Olubanjo, pledged commitment to the competition. He expressed hope that with focus and sustained commitment, the competition would attract the nation’s sports administrators, sponsors and lovers of sports.

He promised that the school would continue to support the athletes, adding that performing athletes would be awarded scholarships.

He disclosed that one of the academy’s products, Emmanuel Akolo, is fast becoming an international athlete, having won a medal at an event in Algiers, Algeria, and is preparing for another competition in Angola sponsored by the Nigerian Athletic Federation.

Principal, Ronik Comprehensive College, Mrs Victoria Duru, disclosed that fairness is enshrined in the Alabi Oyo Competition. She expressed satisfaction with Team Ronik’s performance, hoping that both teams will perform better in subsequent years. That Ronik lost to other teams was evidence of fairness, she said.