The director of Distinction Gate College, Igando-Ikotun, Lagos, Mr Sisso Devi Gilbert has declared that his students will pull off several major shocks at this year’s youth athletics competition sponsored by MTN Communications Limited.
Although his school will be competing in the highly formidable and well attended athletics championship for the first time, the erudite academician fondly called ‘DG’ believes they will ruffle many feathers when the competition tagged ‘MTN Champs Season 3’ commences on April 9th.
This phase of the annual collegiate competition, which is also staged in three other cities across Nigeria, will take place at the sports complexes of University of Lagos and Yaba College of Technology simultaneously from April 9th to 12th.
While his students have another competition to attend on April 12th at Cherished Child Schools in Ijegun area of Lagos, ‘DG’ boasted that he has many talents to count on and share across as many contests as are available anytime, then enthused that Distinction Gate College will emerge among major achievers at MTN Champs 2025.
He further disclosed that his source of confidence comes from a clean sweep of boys and girls’ gold medals in the 100 metres relays at the inter-house sports competition on Folem School, which took place this Saturday at Apostle Obadare Tutorial Centre, near Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), Ikotun, Lagos.
It was the second straight gold medal won in recent weeks by Distinction Gate College’s boys team of Kelani Habeeb, Oyewole Samad, Benedict Oyetayo, Okoh Emeka and Afolabi Richard, as they pulled off the same feat on March 21st during the inter-house sports competition of Pacesetters School at Almaroof Playground, Isheri-Ijegun, Lagos.
While the girls finished fourth at that event, they stormed back this time out, but with a different quartet, as Ademakinwa Faridat, Godwin Favour, Wahab Sofiat and 10-year-old revelation, Godwin Blessing stole the show on Saturday, much to the delight of their director, who hosted all the runners and supporters to a sumptuous lunch when they returned to the school’s premises later in the day.
‘DG’ admitted that the double-victory inspired him to put more interest in the upcoming MTN Champs, and he quickly ordered photo copies of the registration form to be handed out to all the runners and a few others who had also excelled during their tri-weekly training sessions at Local Government Primary School, located along Igando-Ikotun Road.
While also praising the efforts of their trainer, Coach Johnson, three accompanying teachers and other students who followed the squad, ‘DG’ declared: “It was a wonderful outing for us, and I am happy that the children made me and the school proud; especially the youngest of them, Godwin Blessing, who is still in JS1. Congratulations to them all and to our school.
“Because of this achievement, I will personally sponsor Godwin Blessing to participate in the MTN competition, and I am sure she will win the under-14 category of the girls 100m. I also believe in all the others to make a big impression at UNILAG … especially the team’s captain, Kelani Habeeb, and our sports prefect, Emmanuel Henry. I invite all athletics fans to watch out for Distinction Gate College at MTN Champs.”
