This is me today, saying thank you. Thank you to a man who believed in the dream of a young pundit. Thank you to a man whose support lifted a sinking ambition. Engr. JCR is a rare breed, committed to the growth and upliftment of others. May he never falter. May his legacy endure long after he has lived a whole and impactful life. Ameen.
By: Yusuf Mutiu Olaitan
At the start of 2025, I set a professional goal: to cover a national sporting event as a sports pundit for the first time in my career. My sights were set on the National Sports Festival 2024, branded as the Gateway Games and hosted in Abeokuta. Although the event was held in May 2025, it retained the “2024” tag; an echo of the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which had similarly delayed the 2020 edition held in Benin City in 2021.
Beyond the Festival, I had ambitions of covering an international event before the year ended; I even had the ongoing WAFCON 2025 in Morocco at heart. But one step at a time.
Until Gateway Games 2024, I had never covered any sporting event outside Kwara State. Determined to break that jinx, I kept my eyes open for opportunities. So, when a senior colleague in April forwarded an official registration link from the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for journalists interested in covering the Games, I registered and prepared for manual accreditation. Pumped!
By early May, I received notification that I had been selected. The excitement was real, but so were the challenges. How would I travel to Abeokuta? Where would I stay? How would I feed and commute between venues in Abeokuta and Ikenne, which are roughly two hours apart? I had no immediate answers, only hope, like a typical hunter.
When the Games kicked off on Friday, May 16th, I was still in Ilorin. I hadn’t secured the means to attend. I appealed for support on Facebook, WhatsApp, and X (formerly Twitter), but nothing materialised. A week into the event, I spoke with my brother, Basheer Luqman Olarewaju, and confided my disappointment. He understood. We ended the call.
Minutes later, Luqman’s message popped up: “If you reach out to Engr. Cook, I’m confident you’ll be in Abeokuta.” I trusted his words, though I remained hesitant. Any support I received would benefit me directly, offering little tangible return to a sponsor.
Hesitantly, I reached out to Engr. Jimoh Cook Rilwan. His initial response was lighthearted, apologising for not seeing my message earlier. Before I could finish laughing at his tone, he asked for a breakdown of what I needed. I sent the details. He covered it all.
I travelled to Abeokuta, fulfilled and focused. I was finally doing what I had set out to do.
Two days into the Games, I sent him a message to express my gratitude. Again, his response disarmed me: “Whatever you’ll be needing during your stay over there, don’t hesitate to reach out.” That generosity stayed with me. The rest, as they say, is history.
By the grace of Allah and with the support of Engr. Jimoh Cook Rilwan, I covered the 22nd National Sports Festival in Abeokuta.
This is me today, saying thank you. Thank you to a man who believed in the dream of a young pundit. Thank you to a man whose support lifted a sinking ambition. Engr. JCR is a rare breed, committed to the growth and upliftment of others. May he never falter. May his legacy endure long after he has lived a whole and impactful life. Ameen.
As for me, the African Cup of Nations 2025 in Morocco, scheduled for January 2026, is next on the agenda. God remains God. He will do wonders.
Yusuf Mutiu Olaitan is a sports pundit based in Kwara State.
