1925 Ibadan Tennis Club has began its centennial celebrations.
The club which was established in 1925 announced the commencement of the centennial celebrations on Friday at a press conference held at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Secretariat, Iyaganku Ibadan.
The event was used to decorate some notable personalities with the club’s insignia among whom are the Maye Olubadan of Ibadanland, Senior Chief Lekan Alabi, Commissioner for Youths and Sports in Oyo state, Wasilat Adegoke who was represented by Mrs. Olubisi Adegoke and NUJ Chairman, Chief Ademola Babalola.
Others are retired Chief Justice Solomon Akinteye and Chief Tunji Ololade.
The press conference was attended by members of the club, friends of the club and journalists from various media houses in the state.
Our correspondent reports that the event was used to unveil the club’s new logo.
President of the club, Dr. Oladipupo Sule while addressing the journalists, said that the journey of 1925 Ibadan Tennis Club started as a gathering of the emerging crop of African intellectuals, professionals, top public servants and businessmen who came together for literary and recreation activities.
He added that the club has recorded a lot of achievements since its establishment.
Sule while speaking further, thanked past leaders of the club, members of the club and admirers who have contributed positively to the development of the club.
He used the opportunity to call on philanthropists to donate handsomely to fund projects being executed by the club.
“It gives me a great pleasure to welcome you all to today’s briefing. The principal objective of today’s event is to inform the general public about the activities lined up for this year’s Centennial celebrations of our great club. One hundred years is very momentous in the annals of any organization, especially a club such as ours with its history predating the existence of our country Nigeria.
“The journey of 1925 Ibadan Tennis Club started as a gathering of the emerging crop of African intellectuals, professionals, top public servants and businessmen who came together for literary and recreation activities. The 1925 Ibadan Tennis Club, is a club with 100 years of proud history which commenced as an attempt by African elites to engage in intellectual pursuits as well as learn to play the game of tennis, which is essentially European. We are the proud progenitor of many of the indigenous sporting and recreation clubs which sprung up across the Southwest of Nigeria.
“Starting as Ibadan Reading and Recreation Club in the 1920s, it changed to Ibadan African Club in 1936 with its abode within the axis of UBA Plc and the Cenotaph at Dugbe Ibadan. By the late 1940s, the club streamlined its name as Ibadan Tennis Club and moved to its present abode at No. 1 NTC Road (now Adisa Akinloye Road), in 1957 with a grant of £4,500 from the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo Government of Western Region of Nigeria. Another grant of £4,000 for the club’s development was given through the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare by the same government in 1958. Chief Obafemi Awolowo subsequently laid the foundation stone of the main hall on 9th February, 1959, under the Chairmanship of Oba I. B. Akinyele, Olubadan of Ibadan, himself a member of the club.
“In 1959 the courts and other infrastructure were developed enough for the club to organize a special tennis tournament to commemorate Chief Awolowo’s 50th birthday later that year.
Emerging from a club which started out with 3 sections of lawn tennis, literary activities, and football and with outstations in Ile Ife, Ilesha and Ado Ekiti, the club further streamlined its objectives as promotion of recreation, socialization and intellectual interests of members; rendering moral and financial assistance to charitable organizations; and contributing to the social and economic development of the State in particular and the country in general.
“We are proud that long before Nigeria proclaimed its Afrocentric diplomacy, ITC has positioned itself from the beginning as a bastion of equality, racial harmony and female suffrage. Over the years it has continued to promote policies that liberalize access to our sporting facilities. Though a private members club, it has over the years encouraged interclub interaction and interstate sporting events, and promoted access and participation of women in all sectional sports. In the 50s and the 1960s, our records reflected the various activities of the club throughout Western Region geared towards the promotion of growth of the game of lawn tennis.
“The club has always been forward looking and always striving to promote all sports to cater for the different interests of its members. The club’s second billiards table was delivered in 1963 following a seed money in 1959 from Sir Olateru Olagbegi, the Olowo of Owo, who was a tennis veteran.
“Today we stand proudly as inheritors of a great legacy bequeathed to us by our first President, Mr D. A. Obasa (1925 – 1945), and one of our most dynamic General Secretaries, Sam A. Priddy (1931 – 1945). We took pride in the contributions of the 2 Vice Presidents who worked with our first President, Mr Obasa, Messrs E. B Bankole and J. B. Abimbola. We treasured the contributions of many of our able and generous members, H. V. Sowemimo, Captain W. A. Ross (then Senior Resident, Oyo Province), Salami Agbaje, B. O. Olusanya, J.O. Laniyonu, S. A. Oloko, F. A. Oduba, A. A. Abudu, T. L. Oyesina, Dr. S. A. Agbaje, J.O. Sobande, D. T. Akinbiyi (another Olubadan of Ibadan), C. S. O. Akande (former Head of Service, Western State and first Group Managing Director of O’dua Group and whose tenure organized the golden jubilee celebrations of the club in 1975) and many others too numerous to mention.
“We must not forget some of our members, the Kasali brothers, Rasheed Oloyede, Adepeju Faboyinde and Segun Balogun all who represented Nigeria internationally in the game of Tennis in the 80s, and Monday Edo who represented Nigeria in Badminton in the late 70’s and early 80’s. In particular I want to thank all past Presidents who are here for their commitment to the club before, during and after their tenures. In addition, I specially recognise our present BOT members, Sir Fola Familusi, Chief C. O. Ololade, Professor Dele Adelana, and Chief Ebenezer Adewale Jolaoso. My profound gratitude to these gentlemen for their moral, spiritual, corporate and administrative guidance which they avail the club of on need basis in critical and extraordinary times.
“Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, we have great cause to celebrate our club’s 100 years of impactful existence and I invite you all to join us in celebration. The club started the preparation for this Centennial year by inaugurating a Centennial Celebrations Committee headed by a former President of the club and the immediate past Executive Chairman of Oyo State Internal Revenue Service, Aremo John F. Adeleke. This Committee has worked assiduously to put together a programme spanning this entire year taking into account the prevailing social and developmental needs of the club, especially in the context of the club development blueprint initiated by my administration two and a half years ago. I want to specially thank the committee for a job well done.
“We are starting the celebrations with the unveiling of the Centennial logo or insignia. This will be done immediately after this address. The club has planned a Centennial Endowment Luncheon for Saturday 31st May 2025. On this occasion we intend to raise fund for the Centennial projects some of which are rehabilitation and modernization of the main hall of the club, remodeling, expansion and asphalt tarring of the club parking space, installation of security embankment, relocation of the club’s kitchen and installation of new bath and changing rooms, reroofing and rehabilitation of squash hall, building of a new Badminton Hall, installation of security embankment, further renovation of administrative building among others.
“The Centennial Endowment Luncheon will feature a lecture on the rampaging influence of financial technology and it will be delivered by Dr Ademola Adeleke, the Deputy Director, Payment Systems Management Department of the Central Bank of Nigeria. The luncheon will be chaired by eminent personalities while our Chief Launchers will initiate with members of the public the process to raise funds and donate generously to keep the impactful environment and work of the club going.
“The luncheon will also host a business fair to enable businesses and sponsors display, create awareness, and sell their goods and services We have scheduled a Centennial Dinner for September 2025. During this dinner the investiture of His Excellency, the Governor of Oyo State as the Grand Patron of our club will come up. This is in accordance with the dictates of our club constitution.
“In fact, our Governor Engineer Seyi Makinde, as our Grand Patron, will be in likes of the following eminent leaders of Oyo State who have presented themselves for investiture and make generous donations: Late Papa Chief Obafemi Awolowo as Premier of Western Region. Kate Major General Abdulkarim Adisa, Military Governor of Oyo State. Late Alhaji Lam Adesina, Governor (1999 -2003). Senator Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, Governor (2003 -2007) Late Otunba (Dr) Christopher Adebayo Alao-Akala, Governor (2007 – 2011) Late Senator Isiaka Abiola Ajimobi. May the souls of the departed rest in peace.
“After the investiture, we will wish His Excellency, Governor Seyi Makinde a long, peaceful and glorious representation of our club as our grand patron. There will also be a health and wellness discussion to be anchored by a senior health practitioner and political office holder in the OYSG. The highlight of the Centennial Dinner is the Honors, Awards, Sporting Prizes and Recognitions. We intend to honour a very prominent musician with a history connected to the glorious past of our club with a lifetime achievement award. We will also honour posthumously another prominent musician for his contribution to the social life of our club in the 60s and early 70s. We also have in our sight to honour a number of individuals and organizations who have distinguished themselves in some identifiable areas of endeavor.
“We will be commissioning a number of projects earmarked for completion during the Centennial year even as we lay the foundation for the bigger long-term projects. We appeal to all people of means and good will to come forward to fund a number of legacy projects that will carry their names for the next 100 years and more. This is the least a club that produced the State and National champions of the past can expect across the spectrum of our society.
“Just a reminder, ITC is a partaker in the sporting success stories of veterans like Late PA Johnson Awe, Late Sir Olateru Olagbegi, Waheed Ekun and Rasheed Oloyede to mention a few. In billiards, we produced veterans like J. K. Oye, Lawrence Ayo, Prince Ogunsanya, D. Ajilore and Thomson Onibokun. Today, we are proud of the exploits of the likes of Olamide Ogunsanmi and other many upcoming sportsmen and women.
“As part of the insignia being unveiled today, our theme for the Centennial celebrations is “A CENTURY OF SPORTING AND RECREATION EXCELLENCE: MORE PROMISES TO KEEP”. This is our Club’s way of acknowledging the contribution to members and societal well-being in the last 100 years and the commitment to do more for the future. This theme is about who we are, what we stand for, and it is about what we promise going forward”.
