Kwara Govt Appoints Bola Mogaji As Chairman Of Sports Commission

Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has appointed Mr. Bola Mogaji as the chairman of the newly created Kwara State Sports Commission, a statement said on Monday, saying the pick would help to drive growth and innovation in the subsector.

Mogaji, who has decades of cognate experience as a professional athlete and stakeholder, is a household name in the country’s sports industry.

Educated at the University of Ibadan, Mogaji has served in different capacities as a sports administrator at different levels.

He was on the Kwara State Sports Council as chief coach between 1977 and 1995; he was national champion (squash) between 1988 and 1989; National coach squash between 1995 and 2014; technical chairman of Nigeria Squash Federation between 2000 and 2015; Vice President Nigeria Squash Federation between 2000 and 2004; Players’ Representative on National Board between 2000 and 2015;  member of the Main Organising Committee of the National Sports Festival Eko 2012; member MOC Kwara Sports Festival 2020; and President of the Nigerian Squash Referee Association from 2012 to date.

He hails from Ilorin West.

The Governor has also appointed Dr. Olarinoye Steve Abiodun, another renowned sports administrator from Ifelodun local government, as the Director General of the Kwara State Sports Commission.

A graduate of the Ahmadu Bello University and an alumnus of the International Sports Academy Germany, Abiodun has decades of cognate experience as an A-list sports administrator and athlete.

These include his positions as executive Secretary of the Professional League, Nigeria Football Association (1993-1995); Head, International Competition Department (NFA) (1995-1996); Secretary General, Nigeria Weightlifting Federation between 2005 and 2009; chairman, Kwara State Weightlifting Association from 2018 to date; administrative secretary to the gold-winning Nigeria Olympic Football Team Atlanta (1996).

Other members of the Commission are sports authorities and enthusiasts like Dele Abubakar; Abdullahi Lade; Lanre Elijah; Makanjuola Monisola Yemisi; Roseline Raphael; Balikis Abolore Abdulkadir; Bakare Salmon Adebayo; and Ojukaiye Adedoyin Omolade, a senior civil servant, who is the secretary of the Commission.