One day in the sports den of Methodist High School Owo @60
By Abdulgafar Oladimeji
“ we are all here for the J F. Aiyeleso Inter Class Football competition , which is in honour of Late Chief J F. Aiyeleso, who was the principal of Methodist High School, Owo, Ondo state between January 1975 and 1986, chief Aiyeleso while at MHSO brought tremendous changes to football and MHSO was the better for it, in those days.” Says Akinoal Osupuru, president METHSOOSA.
The grand finale of the Methodist High School Owo, MHSO Inter house football competition for boys and girls were staged on the evening of Saturday 15th March 2025 at the school playground.
The event was part of the activities outlined to mark the one week MHSO 6oth anniversary celebrations.
The dress code adopted by members of the sports committee , the number of sports heavy weights from across Nigeria and diaspora, who had arrived the ancient town of Owo were testimonies to the importance attached to the grand finale by the celebrants and their august guests.
The school environment in its entirety wore a new look, the sports ground was a recipient of first grade uplifting to discharge its task of hosting some of the best sports administrators, football legs in the history of Nigerian football and sports pen hands ever produced by the Nigerian sports media industry.
In her welcome address, the chairperson METHOOSA sports committee, Lady Abosede Adebayo gave an detailed insight into the grand investment s made by her committee towards the recorded changes made to the face of sports in their alma mater.
According to her, the sport committee, under her leadership had resorted to the mobilization of resourceful sports persons to help chart the way to bringing MHSO back to the path of its glorious past.
Lady B as she is fondly called by her admirers also hinted that her committee has taken the gargantuan task without been bothered by the burden associated to their sports mandate .
She applauded members of her sports committee for their unwavering commitments toward their assignments , adding that their task was made easy owing to the support they enjoyed from students, teachers , alumni and vast number of sports sympathizers drawn from Owo and beyond.
She singled out chief Kasali Obanoyen for praise, saying despite their usual heated debates, he sterling support had been of immense benefit to the successes recorded by the committee under under watch.
Abosede expressed the conviction that soonest her committee would catapult MHSO to the echelon of school sports activities in Owo and its environ and beyond.
The president Methodist High Scool Owo Old Students Association, METHOOSA, Akinola Osuporu in his remarks said “ it is an epoch making occasion in the sense that , no secondary in Owo has pooled the arrays of notable stars in football in Nigeria as we have them in our midst this afternoon.”
The representative of the Aiyeleso family, Aiyeleso Olaseyi Sylvester Kehinde, OSKA addressing the mammoth crowd said “ our father was more than just an educator, he was an advocate for the development of sports, most especially , football, cricket, hockey, and volleyball.
He assured the sports committee that, the family of late chief Aiyeleso would always be on hand to support any laudable initiatives rolled out in the school.
Former Green Eagles maestro, Felix Owo, who graced the occasion pointed out that the sure route to genuine sports development is rooted in schools sports development.
Owoblow as he is popularly referred to in his soccer hey day commended METHOOSA sports committee for stretching thus far to stage the finale in a grand style, describing the football final as rich in all the condiments of a modest school football final.
He urged the students of MHSO to live their sports dream by being discipline, focus, determined and courageous.
He further caution the students not to let their sports dreams die prematurely, stressing that sports posses the potency to equip them with the capacity to attain and to live their life dreams in all fields of human endeavors.
Erstwhile, Ondo state commissioner for youths sports, Bar John Ola Mafo thumb up METHOOSA Sports committee for the high standard they had set, courtesy of the level of organization, facilities and equipments deployed to host the 60th years anniversary sports events.
He stated that, it is crucial for living beings to always recall that, after their transition their deeds would always linger in the memories of those they had left behind accordingly .
Lady Abosede had earlier disclosed that with support from philanthropist, public and private sector partnership, patronage and collaborations, her committee would make MHSO the numero uno school sports hub in Ondo state and beyond .
The president, METHOOSA, Mr Osuporo also identified the paucity of funds as one of the biggest factors militating against the implementation of planned programmes targeted at uplifting the sports status of the school.
He lamented that, lack of adequate funds has kept hindering the execution of good sports initiatives at MHSO , saying the resources at the disposal of the sports committee were too meager to pursue the laudable sports development initiatives designed for the for the school , urging for the lending of spirited support to the Abosede led sports committee.
Bar Mafo have clamored for the rejig of the sports development template of the school in the axis of coaching education.
Key among the high moments of the day was the presentation of sports equipments to the school in a highly emotional handover ceremony superintended by chief Kasali Obanoyen , the former chairman Sunshine football club, Akure and member of the now defunct Nigeria football Association, NFA.
The students of MHSO SS 1 were crowned the kings of the men’s football event, beating their SSS 3 counterparts to carry the day.
In the women’s football event JSS 3 emerged at the expense of their immediate senior counterparts.
Our correspondent reports that the finale of the inter class soccer competition was held amidst pomp , enveloped in musical funfare throughout the long evening hours of football raw artistry from MHSO football youngsters.
The town’s renown traditional dancers, high life musical groups arrested the atmosphere with their various styles of music and interludes .
The launching of the MHSO sports newsletter was one activity that could not have gone unnoticed, like wise the presentation of education support cheque by the sports committee to some of the sports outstanding students of the school
Heavily armed security operatives were stationed in various strategic locations, medical personel were on hand, while sports journalists also registered their presence at the MHSO sports ground.
Other prominent sports citizens that graced the event includes, former Super Eagles and Kano Pillars captain, Akin Akinsehinde, veteran sports broadcaster, Pa Arthur Kwame, former Green Eagles and IICC Shooting Stars of Ibadan goalkeeper, Omoba Zion, Sports Equipment guru, Sesan Bimbo Odukoya.
