A member of Osun State House of Assembly representing Ife North constituency, Honourable Babatunde Olatunji, is asking the Federal Government to promote Nigerian culture through indigenous games.
He says such games carry with it history which younger generation should know about.
Honourable Olatunji made the demand at the maiden edition of an indigenous board game competition in Osun State sponsored by him.
It was all fun and pleasure, as both the young and old, men and women came together at Edunabon Town in Ife North Local Government Area of the state to participate in the board game competition known as “Ayo Olopon”.
This Christmas holiday presented another opportunity to different persons to relax and merry with their relatives and loved ones and the game tagged “Tunde Olatunji Ayo Olopon State Tournament ” also provided excitement, with about 40 men and women participating.
The lawmaker said the game was organised to encourage stiffer competition and arouse the interest of the youth in the game.
Played on a board, Ayo Olopon involves mathematical calculations and tactical approach to attack an opponent and defend yourself.
Honorable Babatunde says the competition would also revive and promote indigenous games, describing Ayo Olopon as one of the games enjoyed in the past by the elders and children alike.
“It is all about promoting our culture and preserving our heritage.
“We want to see how we can restore the lost glory of this game. This is a game we can proudly call our name. We want to see it packaged to the world in grand style. Today we talk about football and badminton and basketball, but all of these games originated outside Africa and we have embraced it. So, we are practically saying that we at least have something to sell to the world and that is our Ayo Olopon game.
“It is very sad to know that this game is gradually going into extinction and children of nowadays do not know about the Ayo open game.
“Beyond the entertainment, we want to be able to tap the potentials of this game. The social value it can add especially when we introduce it in the home,” Honourable Olatunji explained.
He told reporters that the game had a way of making children very sharp in mathematics because it involves calculation. It is a game of counting. It can actually form part of our curriculum in schools and we are looking towards taking this to our schools to encourage the youths.
“We can build industry around the Ayo Olopon and the most interesting part of it is that we don’t need very huge resources required to play some other games. All you need to do is to be able to play it.
“The history of Ayo Olopon dates back to the early days of man according to historians. Some say it has a very strong link with agriculture and there are archaeological evidences that proves that as early as 6,000 or 7,000AD, they could see proof of this game being in existence. So, we need to be very careful and understand that this is a game that promotes unity, brotherliness and talks about the African culture,” he said.
He also shared dreams of making Ayo Olopon a national and international game.
“It is the maiden edition but we want it to become a national and international tournament. All we want is for the Yorubas, the southwest and all Nigerians to revive the cultural heritage which we have and use it to our advantage,” he stressed.
At the end of the one-day competition, Johnson Adeoye emerged male champion while Funmilayo Moradeyo of the Osun State sport council won the female category.
“I emerged the winner of the Honourable Olatunji Ayo Olopon State Tournament. I was able to win this competition because I have been in constant practice, I commend Honourable Olatunji for trying to revive this game amongst us the young people. It is a game that should be brought back to the fore. Our government always focuses on football and other games but we are appealing to them to invest more in a game like Ayo Olopon. It is a game that can be played at the national level and even outside the country.
“The people no longer want to play this game but it is a good game and there are many benefits to benefit from playing this game. ” Moradeyo explained.
On her part Moradeyo said: “Yes we call it female category but it was tough. Thank God I won the game. It is not that the other women were not good but it just happened that God has destined me to win. The secret to winning this game is constant training and determination and focus if you are to be good at this game. I am happy that the young ones are now coming to play this game and I’m so glad that they are developing interest in this game. The era of the old people is going gradually.
“I commend Honourable Olatunji for what he has done. He has brought people together and that is the spirit of unity. Other political office holders should emulate him because this is how we can develop sports as government alone cannot do it. We need to develop other sports as well”.
After he presented prizes to the winners, Honourable Olatunji promised to take the Ayo Olopon game to major schools to encourage further youth involvement.