FUTMINNA NUGA EXPERIENCE

 

Having departed Niger state  on 15th March 2022 there was a stir of optimism among team futminna as most of the athletes and sports rep will be having their first ever taste of the national University games association(NUGA), well for some others the first time they will represent the university for an event as prestigious as this.

Probably it wasn't a farce when big things were expected of them because they went prepared and with lagos state hosting this year's edition it gave more room for added optimism. Were they going there for the experience and fun or were they going there to make a statement?(it's Eko we are talking about here everyone wants to be there).

*NUGA OPENING CEREMONY*

 

Having arrived Lagos safely amidst all the hiccups associated with travelling by road to Lagos State, team futminna had the required tests and checked into the provided lodges, the NUGA opening ceremony was grande premiere, it was worth all the hype that is always associated to an event as big as this one as team Futminna presented themselves via the compulsory match pass led by the institution's sports director in person of comrade Ayanda oyewunmi oladipupo(Observer) to the hundreds or maybe thousands of waving and ecstatic fans and personnels at the University of Lagos sports complex.

The opening ceremony of the 26th edition of the Nigerian University Games Association (NUGA) hosted on Saturday by the University of Lagos (UNILAG) at the sports complex may well go down as one of the best in the annals of the competition since inception in 1966. 

No fewer than 75 private and public institutions from across the country took turns to file out in different colourful kits for the mandatory match past which was witnessed by dignitaries. 

Among the personalities at the occasion were Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker House of Representatives, Sunday Dare Minister of Sports, Segun Agbaja, CEO, Guaranty Trust Holding Co Plc, Senator Lanre Tejuosho, pro-Chancellor, UNILAG, Pastor Tunde Bakare, and Pastor Ituah Ighodalo.

A major highlight of the occasion was the lighting of the NUGA Flames by Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila who was flanked by eminent personalities at the occasion. 

This was preceded by a torch relay by notable athletes and sports personalities such as Olympic Gold Medalists, Chioma Ajunwa and Enefiok Udo-Obong, Olumide Oyedeji, ex-NBA star, Hameed Adio, a UNILAG alumnus and 1980 Olympian among others.

*FUTMINNA NUGA EXPERIENCE*

Having arrived the NUGA games, team futminna was geared up as the athletes and every sports rep in every category didn't just want to have a fun filled and memorable experience they also want to make a statement of intent. Boasting amatures but hungry and talented athletes in almost every category team futminna was very much ready for the experience as all the staffs devoted their time and energy to make sure everything was in place and all hands were on deck for this experience. 

*FUTMINNA UNICORNS*

 

Dealing with the disappointment of the renowned Futminna transformers (male Football team) not qualifying for the national University games this year as they lost out in the qualifying rounds, all attention was fixed on the newly formed futminna unicorns(female football team) who had a free pass to the main event due to being the only female soccer team in that zone. Less than a year old this team although very inexperienced as they have never been involved in any major or minor competition can boast of some really good, talented young ladies who were ready to represent. Headed by the experienced coach Idris and with support from ubah, this team was prepared not just to play and represent futminna in a prestigious event being their maiden event but also to make a statement and lay groundwork for other events, the future is bright.

Having being grouped in what we can regard as the group of death with other schools like University of Lagos, university of ibadan and bayero university Kano 

With a very unexpected start for them defeating bayero university Kano by 4 goals to nil

What a start that was, and then the bigger results was drawing dramatically against arguably the tournaments favourite University of Lagos female soccer team 1:1 in a hotly contested game of football, it was all rosy from there but it wasn't to be as the domineering UNICORNS painfully lost out to unibadan female team 4:2. With 4 points gathered from 3 games it wasn't enough for the unicorns to progress because of results from other games as unilag and unibadan both progressed to the knockout stages with 7 and 6 points respectively Futminna unicorns bowed out with 4 points in 3rd position with their heads held high, yes they have made a statement and everyone was impressed with the character on display from this ladies.

THE GOLDEN EXPERIENCE and other accolades

Having arrived NUGA games 2022 with what we can call a bizzare record in previous editions by standards team futminna can only boast of a gold medal in this event as far back as 11 years ago at the NUGA games hosted by university of Benin, Edo state 2011 in javelin and  taekwondo, so taking a gold was always part of the experience for team futminna.

 The gold finally came as Okechi chidinma jane-francis a 100 level student of the institution delivered a dominant and superb performance in the taekwondo (Welter weight category) as she defeated  yusuf Fatima of Ambrose Alli university, ekpoma by 22 points to 7 points in the final match having previously dispatched temitope ajayi of university of Lagos to book her place in the final. This is exactly how you write your name in the history books as she will definitely be considered to sometime represent the nation in a Continental or world event sooner than later.

Futminna also clinched other accolades as odofin barakat clinched bronze in the taekwondo (middle weight category) with a very brilliant performance slightly missing out on the final spot.

 The medals continued to come into the coffers of team futminna as ilegieuno Justus a computer engineering student clinched silver medal in the chess competition at 26th nuga games Lagos State. A performance to be proud of as he came up against pros who has had some years of experience in the game.

Well, in conclusion criticisms are normal and they come naturally but team futminna went to the 26th edition of the national University games with a clear intent, goals may have not been met but they had the experience, they made a statement, a clear statement of intent ahead of further events. An anonymous reply to some of the vast criticisms they recieved was that the people Criticizing are those that haven't felt the experience of representing a prestigious institution in a very prestigious event as the university games, this is an event that hosts the very best sportsmen and women in the country where some of them are already professionals representing the nation in continental and world events, this is no doubt a wonderful experience for futminna and credits has to go to all officials, staffs and players of every sports and game events that represented futminna at NUGA 2022. In no small mention to the athletics team and and the board games like Scrabble and chess and every other sportsmen that represented futminna. Team futminna departed Lagos State on 25th and 28th March 2022 respectively with their heads held high after such an EXPERIENCE.