WE WILL LEVERAGE E-SPORTS TO UNLOCK GLOBAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR LAGOS YOUTHS – COMMISSIONER
The Honourable Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mobolaji Ogunlende, has stated that Lagos State is committed to building and supporting a vibrant esports ecosystem for the benefit of millions of young Lagosians.
Ogunlende, who led the State’s delegation to the International E-Games Week in Paris, France, observed that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration is aware of the vast opportunities in e-sports and will continue to support initiatives that empower young people.
He said, “E-sports is an exciting opportunity that is strongly emerging, and we have a responsibility to leverage it effectively for our youths in Lagos”.
Noting that the visit to France was to explore the potential of the game for Lagosians, especially our youths, the Commissioner said statistics from international publishers estimated that Nigeria has 44 million gamers with a large percentage in Lagos.
He explained that e-sports is a confluence of the three main areas where young people thrive, namely – Sports, Technology, and Creative Arts, pointing out that there are limitless global opportunities for proficient players who can build infrastructure and technology that power gaming.
Ogunlende noted that conversations are ongoing with France Esports and other global stakeholders to build a viable, sustainable, and profitable e-sports ecosystem in Lagos.
“There are at least seven million people in Lagos who play the games in one form or the other, which creates a huge market to explore. We want to provide access to training and infrastructure across the State to improve the skill level and gaming experience while attracting global esports brands to Lagos”, the Commissioner said.
“Mr. Governor is very aware of e-sports’ potential to transform the lives of young people and has been very supportive of our drive to maximise the inherent opportunities”, he added.
Other members of the delegation to the international e-games week in Paris, France, are the Director-General of Lagos State Sports Commission, Sola Aiyepeku, and the Chairman E-sports Association, Abiola Kazeem.