Rafiu Alarape of Silverbird Television in Ogun State on Wednesday emerged champion of the maiden edition of Ogun State SWAN/Tokunbo Talabi Table Tennis Championship, smiling home with a cash prize of $50.

The Silverbird Television staff defeated Afolabi Sobande of Radio Nigeria/ Paramount FM, Abeokuta by three sets to two in a keenly contested final played inside the Iwe-Iroyin hall of the Ogun State Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists in Abeokuta, the State capital

Alarape had lost the first set 8-11 before winning the next two sets 12-10 and 11-9 but failed to win the fourth set, losing 10-12, to put final scores at two sets apiece

He however came forcefully into the decisive set with a hard earned 11-8 win to clinch the trophy and star cash prize of $50 while Sobande finished in the second position with a prize money of $30

To quality for final, Alarape defeated Segun Folarin of Paramount FM Abeokuta in the semi-final while Sobande beat Sunday Adenekan of Ogun State Television (OGTV) in other semi-final of the tournament

Both Adenekan and Folarin who are joint third placed winners went home with a cash prize of $20

Secretary to the Ogun State Government, Mr. Tokunbo Talabi who is the financial of the tournament, was full of excitement with the level of participation of members of the state branch of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN)

The SSG who was represented by Special Adviser to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Finance, Mr. Bayo Adenekan, expressed the commitment of the present administration to development of sports to continue to discover great talents and stars from the state such as Segun Torinola, Kehinde Okenla in table tennis, Tobi Amusan who is the world 110m hurdle record holder and the likes

The State SWAN Chairman, Michael Azeez-Ogunsiji appealed to SSG for continuous sponsorship of the tournament annually to promote the game among members

He expressed the readiness of members to make the tournament more competitive, saying most of them have now registered with the table tennis section of the Alake Sports Complex, to work harder on themselves and excell in the future edition of the competition

The SWAN called on stakeholders including philanthropists and corporate organizations to compliment government in the development of sports in the state

“We are calling on multi-national companies to partner with the State Sports Council Council, sports associations in the state to see on how we can galvanized sports to discover future talents for major national and international competitions”, he pleaded

High point of the event was the presentation of special medals to the SSG, State Commissioner of Sports Development, Mr. Wasiu Isiaka and top officials of the State Sports Council

The Financial Services Group of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) in collaboration with Fidelity Bank PLC hosted its highly anticipated business conference themed: Powering Nigerian Businesses for Growth.

The conference had the Honourable Minister of Trade and Investment Dr Doris Nkiruka Ozoka-anita, MD CEO of Fidelity Bank Mrs Nneka Onyeali Ikpe, MD CEO, KSBC Knowledge Resources Ltd, Mr. Chika Mbonu amongst other dignitaries in attendance.

In his welcome address, the President, Asiwaju (Dr) Michael Olawale-Cole, (CON), thanked the participants and emphasized the importance of this conference at this very critical time in the history of the country’s enormous economic challenges. He said such a platform provides an avenue to discuss the Nigerian Economy and promote business prosperity. While acknowledging the high poverty and unemployment levels, he emphasized the need to decisively shift from a survival phase into a growth phase by exploring manufacturing to explore growth opportunities.

He noted that the Federal Government has embarked on several critical reforms to ease the free flow of capital for investors, and expressed optimism that these will help improve the economy and ensure stability.

The event also featured a panel discussion themed: ‘’Key Issues Confronting Businesses in the Economy and Opportunities for Business Growth”.

The Ogun State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker has said effective community involvement in the eradication of HIV/AIDS is pivotal to any successful response to the menace, as it is well-positioned to address both the social and cultural factors that contribute to its transmission.

Dr. Coker revealed this during a Press Conference in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, organised by the Ogun State Agency for the Control of AIDS (OGSACA), held in commemoration of 2023 World AIDS Day, with the theme, ‘’Communities: Leadership To End AIDS by 2030.

Coker emphasised the need for community to lead in education and awareness, creating access to HIV testing services, promoting social behaviour, advocacy and policy change, and preventing stigma and discrimination, among others, noting that it is essential to place community leaders at the centre of HIV plans, programmes, budget and monitoring effort.

The Commissioner, who reiterated the commitment and target of the present administration to end AIDS by 2030, pointed out that the health facilities in the state that are currently providing HIV services had increased from 198 in 2019 to 497 as of November 2023, while about 300 community testers had been engaged for HIV case findings.

She added,’’ OGSACA has created a one-stop shop for testing people for the first time and providing medical support for them, and the center has collaborated with health providers to reduce the HIV/AIDs in the communities’’.

In his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information and Strategy, Mr. Waheed Adeshina said AIDS would be a thing of the past in the next seven years, saying people should be ready to put an end to stigmatisation, and take a bold step to know their HIV status.