Rewind to 2003 in Ogun state, the sports sector in the beloved gateway state was in a state of emergency – absolutely nothing worth of note was happening in that sector. No income stream for government neither was there any commercial opportunities for the young population to profit from in a sector that’s reputed as one of the most viable vehicle of social empowerment.
Cometh the hour, cometh the man, Bukola Olopade’s magic wand was spotted by the former governor Gbenga Daniel who promptly gave him the task to turn around the fortunes of the sporting sector in Ogun state. Bukola Olopade, took up the challenge brilliantly and within a short period of time he completely transformed the sports sector. With the support of his boss, the state hosted the first ever sports festival in Ogun’s sports history and that came with the building and renovation of world-class stadiums in the three senatorial districts in the state, not only that the state-owned football club was revived and Gateway FC even had legendary Rashidi Yekini donned the colours of Gateway FC. There was massive youth empowerment through sports and the income stream from sports increased significantly. That’s the antecedent of Bukola Olopade who is undoubtedly one of Nigeria’s prides in the sporting community.
The former commissioner for sports has since moved on to bigger things and currently his Nilayo Sports Management company is the one of the most sought-after in the country. The company flaunts for being one of the consultants behind the success story of the Lagos state marathon. The company is ahead of the competitors with the Delta state marathon project recently clinched by the forward-thinking company of international repute. Bukola Olopade has a long history of excellence in sports administration and little wonder he’s highly revered when the subject is about winning strategy in sports administration.
We gathered that plans are now in the pipeline to place Nigeria on the international scene as the Delta state marathon draws near. Unknown to many, Bukola Olopade’s passion for sports has further taking a new dimension as his football team was hosted to a special end of the season dinner in preparation to take over the big stage. Bukola Olopade, who also doubles as the president of the wheelchair basketball federation. He has done a lot in the area of contributions to the growth of sports in Nigeria. He is also the Chairman of the Nigeria football league.