Justice Coker was on his way to work on the day the 24th African Cup of Nation(AFCON) football tournament in Ivory Coast kicked off with its first game between Ivory Coast and Guinea Bissau on the 13th, January 2024.
While passing Jubilee bridge, Oja-Oba bus stop axis, he noticed a large canopy and a TV screen showing the match in front of the Agbado Oke-Odo LCDA secretariat, Abule-Egba axis.
“I live around, so I knew I had to come back to watch the game here. My first time here was Nigeria’s match against Equatorial Guinea; today is my second time,” he shared with The Record.
The Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC) initiated ‘#LagosIsAGoal,’ establishing 20 viewing centres for residents to watch live AFCON matches in a bid to use sports as a means to foster unity and community among residents.
Agbado-Oke Odo is one of the 20 designated viewing centres spread across the State. Others include Surulere, Lagos Island, Yaba, Epe, Oworonshoki, Badagry, Ketu, Ajegunle, Alimosho, Agbado-Oke Odo, Ojo, Festac, Ijegun, Agege, Mushin, Ikorodu, Ojokoro, Abesan, Igbobi-Sabe, and Lekki.
Mr. Anjorin Muritala, a committee member for the viewing centre at the Agbado Oke-Odo LCDA secretariat, revealed they’ve had over 100 people in attendance, especially on days when the Nigeria team plays.
“The turnout is only low when other countries play, but people still come out to watch here,” Muritala told the Record.
Mr. Godwin Okon acknowledged that the initiative not only fosters unity and a sense of community among residents but also helps ease daily work tensions.
“At the end of the day, you just come back here and sit down to take off the stress of the whole day,” Okon said.
Coker also expressed appreciation to the Lagos State Government for making the initiative fun and lively with the provision of refreshments.
“They had cash prizes for people who made accurate predictions about the match on the first Nigerian match. People won N20,000 and N50,000. They also gave out gifts. It is a great initiative,” he told The Record.
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