Wife of renown legal icon, Aare Afe Babalola (SAN), Yeye Aare Modupe Babalola has expressed her deep love for sports, especially for the sake of millions of youths in the country, urging them to queue up.
She explained that this accounted for why she instituted the idea of one of her popular pet projects, ” Yeye Aare Babalola Athletics Sports Festival”, YABAS/YAMBAF, many years ago .
The Chief Executive of ABUAD Ventures, Mrs Babalola made this known weekend, at the 2025 edition, held at the Afe Babalola University, Ado EkitI (ABUAD) Stadium.
At the grand finale of the competition, sponsored by her, with full support of her husband, several athletes, drawn from various invited secondary schools and tertiary institutions, competed in different sporting activities, and those that excelled, compensated with varied prizes.
Mrs. Babalola said the motive behind the festival was to discover talents among youth, and keep them away from social vices.
She added that sportsmen and women, discovered in the previous editions are now excelling in Nigeria and beyond..
She described sports development and growth as one of the ways, through, which the potentials of Nigerian youths can be developed for more economic gains and prosperity.
According to her, sports, if pursued vigorously by talented ones, is a veritable weapon that can be effectively used to fight poverty, especially in a country like Nigeria, where the unemployment of youths keeps increasing on yearly basis.
Besides, she said sports is also part of life, adding that everybody needs it to keep body healthy and functional.
Though her husband , Babalola could not make it to the event due to other exigencies, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Smaranda Olarinde who delivered his goodwill message, commended his wife for her interest in sports by sponsoring the competition in the since about 15 years ago.
He said the sporting tournament had helped in fostering unity and cohesion among the students in the university and among other schools in the state.
Babalola said it was the commitment of ABUAD to remain a leading university in all areas of life, stressing that sports are part of those areas.
