The 2025 edition of the Basic Education Schools Sports (BESS) Competition officially kicked off in Lagos on Tuesday, with stakeholders rallying support for healthy lifestyles, teamwork, discipline, and youth development through sports.

Speaking at the flag-off ceremony held in Maryland, Lagos, the Executive Chairman of the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (LASUBEB), Dr. Hakeem Babatunde Shittu, emphasised that the competition is more than just a sporting event.

“It is a celebration of youthful energy, skill, and the limitless potential that resides within every child in our care,” Dr. Shittu said. “Our schools are not only centres of academic excellence but also the breeding ground for holistic child development.”

Organised by LASUBEB and the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) in collaboration with the Nigeria Schools Sports Federation (NSSF), the week-long BESS competition brings together over 370 pupils from six South-West states—Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, and Ondo—to compete in various sports including track and field, football, chess, scrabble. ayo-olopon, long jump, and high jump.

Sports Calendar Highlights: Preliminaries (Football & Board Games): June 17–18 at CMS Grammar School, Bariga

Grand Finale (Football Finals): June 19 at Yaba College of Technology Sports Complex.
Shittu highlighted that safety remains paramount, with professional sports officials and adequate measures in place to ensure the well-being of participants.
The Honourable Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Mr. Jamiu Tolani Alli-Balogun, who delivered the keynote address, praised the inter-state collaboration that gave rise to the competition.

“This event is a testament to our commitment to nurturing young talents and promoting healthy competition,” he noted.
“Lagos proudly builds on the high standard set by Ekiti State during the maiden edition in 2024.”

Alli-Balogun also commended the continued excellence of Lagos pupils in sports across local and international platforms, adding that BESS would inspire a new generation of sports enthusiasts with the values of discipline, sportsmanship, and perseverance.
He concluded with a call to stakeholders and media partners to amplify the positive impacts of such developmental programs, ensuring that no child is left behind.

“Together, let us build a generation that is not only intellectually sound but also physically fit, morally upright, and socially responsible,” he said.