• Oct. 26, 2022, 1:38 p.m.
• By

NUGA IDUS'22: A Healthy Nigerian Campus The International Day of University Sport (IDUS) was officially celebrated at Nile University of Nigeria, Abuja from the 18th 20th of September. The event, which was officially declared by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on September 20th, was celebrated for the third time in Nigeria through an exhibition of Nigerian art, an E-sport championship, and a Sports Conference. A Festival styled celebration, the objective was to have a convergence of art, healthy competition and knowledge sharing through the organization of these unique activities in commemoration of IDUS. It was also pertinent that the spirit of volunteerism was elevated and the conversation around a healthier Nigerian campus was discussed, hence the theme: A Healthy Nigerian Campus. ARTS Exhibition (18th-20th September, 2022) Since FISU is an organization that prioritizes university sport, education and culture; it was imperative that we allow the expression of Nigerian culture through its arts on NUGA-IDUS22. In partnership with the Centre for Culture and Environment Promotion, an art agency in Nigeria, we received over 50 art pieces from students from 25 universities across Nigerian for the exhibition which lasted 3 days 18 - 20 of September 2022. The exhibition was attended by members of the community including various sports leaders in Nigeria. Representing the Minister for Youth and Sports Development Mr. Andrew Adejoh commended NUGA for the inclusive nature of its event while admiring the work of the artists on display, The absolute development of the Nigerian youth is our goal at the ministry and to have events like that not only gives attention to sports but also the arts is a very commendable effort. ESports Tournament (19th-20th September, 2022) The Esport community is a fast growing community on Nigerian campuses; therefore, the Nigerian University Games Association in partnership with Gamr Africa organized a FIFA22 tournament for students in the Abuja Metropolis. We had 64 students register for a chance at the prize money sum of N100,000. The preliminary rounds were played on the 19th of September and the finals was played on the 20th of September. Winner of the tournament Faruk Manzo (AKA FIFA God) was dominant all through including a thrilling second round victory against his older brother enroute to the final. On winning yet another FIFA competition in Nigeria he said, I am glad competitions like this have finally started in our schools, I feel very happy winning this tournament and I hope to dominate till I graduate or turn pro who knows. He said meeting his brother in competitions is actually common, I often meet him in competitions and I am always on my toes to make sure I beat him, I have a reputation to uphold, hes older but Im better he said Laughing. The Manzo brothers are students of Nile university of Nigeria. NUGA IDUS'22 SPORTS CONFERENCE Following a tradition of raising conversations around university sports, NUGA organized a physical and online conference on Volunteerism and The FISU Healthy Campus Initiative. Keynote speaker Tunde Onakoya founder of Chess in Slums Africa, a non-profit organization using the game of chess to help youngsters in slum communities realize their full potential. He Spoke on the needs and effects of developing a volunteering habit. He shared his experience developing the Chess in Slums Africa project It was not easy at the start especially when it comes to convincing people to believe in your goal but we have actually gone past that moment because we now attract international Organizations to contribute to what we are doing. Tunde began the journey of Chess in Slums Africa at the popular slum in OSHODI, Lagos State. He gathered and encouraged homeless young boys and girls, trained them to become chess players and and an opportunity to gain proper education. He encouraged the participants to become a part of something bigger than themselves and volunteering to the community will help not just in developing skill but also self-satisfaction. Already empowering over 1000 volunteers in the African continent, Tunde said "My vision is to create the best Chess Academy in the world to house street kids, orphans and other less privileged ones, your dream should be as big." Following the Key note Address was the first Panelists Session tagged "Volunteerism in Nigerian Sports" which was Moderated by Nigeria FISU Students ambassador, Adebayo Olatunde with Aisha Tahir, Gambo Abdulrahman, David Ocheche and Tunde Onakoya as Panelists. The second Session of the Conference featured the FISU Healthy Campus Initiative presented via zoom by FISU's Volunteer Leadership Academy and FISU Student Ambassador coordinator Albina Rakhmatullina. Defined according to World Health Organization as "a State of Complete physical, mental and social well being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity". She noted the six field of actions and activities that the initiative will promote which include: Healthy Campus Management, Physical Activities and Sports, Nutrition, Mental and Social Health, Risk behavior and Environmental Sustainability and Social Responsibility. She concluded that the FISU Healthy Campus Initiative is an initiative aiming to enhance students' well being in all aspects. The Second Panel which focused on a Healthy Nigerian Campus featured Dr Dereck Orji, Mr Emeka Ogbu, Santos Akhilele and Prof Stephen Hamfyelto as they deliberated on the best way to impact the initiative in Nigerian universities. Volunteering in Sports, being an ideal we are Championing at NUGA, played crucial role in this year's celebration. We had some volunteers from the NUGA Volunteer network (spanning across universities in Nigeria), which started in March 2022, be at the forefront of the organization and execution of the event. Their activities include but are not limited to Project planning and Project Management, Graphic designing, Video editing, Ushering, and Photography. Led by the Nigeria FISU student ambassador Adebayo Olatunde, who described his experience as exceptional IDUS 2022 was a beautiful experience, working with volunteers from other universities to commemorate the day was an experience I won't forget soon. I especially loved seeing the artworks submitted and it shows how IDUS can be celebrated in multiple ways. Ajibade Adeyemi who volunteered as the events manager said We planned, we prepared we executed, Im glad we achieved what we aimed for, it felt really good seeing it all come together, I look forward to what we can achieve with this group.