NUGA Inspired Our Maiden Sports Fiesta, Says UNILAG NANVIS President

By Oluwatoyin Adewale, Bello Faruq, Effiong Stella, Ezeali David, Akerele Abiodun

The president of the National Association of the Nigerian Visually Impaired Students (NANVIS), University of Lagos wing, Ajani Adeolu, has revealed that the Nigerian University Games Association (NUGA) inspired its maiden sports fiesta.

In an interview with UNILAG Sun, the president said the idea for the sports festival stemmed from the association’s desire to create representation for students living with disability.

NANVIS hosted its maiden sports fiesta on Wednesday, December 3, at the UNILAG Sports Centre to mark the International Day of People Living with Disabilities.

The fiesta, themed “Breaking Barriers: Play without limits” was the first of its kind organised by the association on campus with the objective of promoting inclusion and creating awareness on the sporting abilities of the physically challenged.

It featured various sporting activities including football, wheel chair race and race for the visually impaired.

Gracing the occasion were visually impaired and other physically challenged students from Wesley College, Oshodi Vocational Training Centre, amongst others.

According to the association’s president, two years ago at NUGA, they were to present representatives from students living with disability and that informed their decision to organise subsequent sports related events in preparation to represent the school at large.

“We decided that if we are going to join them in such a big event, we need to have our own programs coming up subsequently so that we can also represent the school at large. So that was brought about the event,” Ajani said.

He also identified funding as a major challenge faced while organising the event but commended the support of the university administration.

Ajani explained that the offices of the vice-chancellor, deputy vice-chancellors and the dean of students affairs contributed to the success of the fiesta by providing funding and easy access to facilities.

Speaking on the planning process of the fiesta, the chairman of the planning committee, Owolabi Dinero, described the process as difficult at the initial stage, particularly due to the school not being in session and the challenge of mobilising members and volunteers.

He noted that getting sponsors was not easy as people didn’t buy into the idea of a sports fiesta for the visually challenged, but they eventually got Sterling bank to sponsor the event because they understood the idea of inclusion.

“We found a partner in Sterling who also understands the idea and the DEI stuff (diversity, equity and inclusion),” Owolabi said.

He urged the NANVIS UNILAG community to break free from stereotype, charging them to be expressive and not “keep themselves in a box”.

Speaking on Sterling’s decision to support the fiesta, the chief marketing officer of Sterling bank, Donatus Opako said the decision to partner with NANVIS UNILAG was rooted in their commitment to inclusivity and human capital development.

He stated that the institution promotes diversity both within its workforce and its corporate social responsibility projects.

“We have employees with different forms of disabilities and we do not see disability as a limitation,” he said.

Opako disclosed that the partnership with NANVIS UNILAG is not a one-off, and has been ongoing for about a year.

Beyond competition, the event served as a platform for interaction between the physically challenged students and the public.

The coach of the NANVIS Football Team, Tunde Animashaun, described the fiesta as “rare and impactful initiative.”

“This is the first time I am seeing something like this,” he said.

 “It helps the society understand persons with disabilities better and shows that they have great potential that can be invested in.”

He noted that he was pained for losing the match but “as a sportsman you just have to embrace defeat.”

One of the highlights of the fiesta was the wheel chair race, which caused the crowd to be excited. The winner of the race encouraged persons with disabilities not to give up on their dreams.

Advocating for inclusion, the winner of the female track race, known as FunmiSports called for better support for visually impaired athletes, urging sport authorities to include them in games at international levels.

“I want our federation to please encourage us,” she said.

“In the sense that, if there is any international game, we should be picked. The way they are treating us is not really nice.”

The NANVIS president expressed optimism that the sports fiesta would become an annual event, and looks forward to having the future editions bigger in scale and stronger in impact.