The atmosphere in Ilisan-Remo is electric as the town plays host to the judo events of the ongoing 22nd National Sports Festival, “Gateway Games 2025.”
The Ilisan Town Hall, now buzzing with energy, has become the proud venue for one of Nigeria’s largest sporting spectacles.
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The community, once a quiet corner of Ogun State, is now seeing unprecedented activity.
With Babcock University serving as the Games Village for over 8,000 athletes and officials, Ilisan has become a hub of national attention and economic opportunity.
Local vendor Mama Agnes shared her excitement:
“We are happy! This is good for the people of Ilisan. This morning, they brought some students to come and see how judo is being done.
That’s how it’s been from the beginning—every day, schools bring students to learn about the sport.”
But it’s not just about sports—it’s about livelihoods. For many local traders, the National Sports Festival has been a game-changer.
“Business-wise, what we used to sell in a week or a month, we now sell in a single day,” Mama Agnes added. “This is big for us. It would have been even better if the proposed Ilisan City Mall had been completed.
We’d have had more facilities to cater to people from all over Nigeria. But still, everything else is going well. Now I really see why they need to invest more in this community.”
The festival isn’t only a sporting celebration—it’s proving to be a platform for youth engagement and economic development.
Each day, students from nearby schools are bussed in to observe judo matches, giving them first-hand exposure to a sport that many had never witnessed before.
Initiated in 1973, the National Sports Festival was designed to foster unity and encourage athletic excellence across the nation.
For Ilisan-Remo, hosting part of this prestigious event has not only honored that mission but also awakened new possibilities for the future.
As the Gateway Games continue, Ilisan-Remo stands tall—not just as a host, but as a proud community seizing the moment.
