Last Updated on August 11, 2026 by Olasunkanmi Olajide
… To Promote Wellness, Camaraderie
By Femi Dansu
The 2026 Staff Unity Games of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), today, August 10, 2026, officially commenced. It is an initiative providing staff across the University with an avenue to promote physical wellness, foster unity, and strengthen interpersonal relationships.
The Games, which had staff from various Colleges, Institutes, Centres, Directorates, and Units in a relaxed sporting atmosphere, offered participants the opportunity to interact with colleagues beyond their regular official responsibilities while promoting healthy competition and camaraderie.
Speaking at the Opening Ceremony, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Babatunde Kehinde, represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Development, Prof. Olawale Dairo, restated the commitment of the University Management to staff welfare.
The Vice-Chancellor emphasised that recreation and physical activities were essential components of staff wellbeing, noting that the Games were designed to provide employees with opportunities to relax, socialise, exercise, and engage in activities that contribute positively to their overall health.
He distinguished the Staff Unity Games from students’ sporting competitions, which were generally more competitive, rigorous, and physically demanding, explaining that the Staff Games were deliberately structured to provide a more relaxed and enjoyable sporting experience.
The Vice-Chancellor further stated that physiological checks had been introduced as part of preparations for the Games to ascertain the fitness levels of participating staff. He also encouraged staff to embrace regular physical exercise and healthy lifestyles beyond the duration of the Games.
Also speaking, the Director, Directorate of Sports and Wellness Centre, Dr. Samuel Olabanji, said the Staff Unity Games were conceived to promote interaction, recreation, relaxation, and healthy competition among staff.
Dr. Olabanji advocated the formal inclusion of the Staff Unity Games in the University’s calendar and its approval by the Senate, noting that such institutionalisation would enhance planning, publicity, participation, and sustainability of the programme.
Dr. Olabanji urged staff to see the Games primarily as an opportunity to unwind, interact, and build stronger bonds with colleagues, rather than as a do-or-die competition.
In the matches played so far, the Bursary Team defeated the College of Plant Science and Crop Production (COLPLANT) Team 2–0.
The encounter between the College of Food Science and Human Ecology (COLFHEC) Team and the Vice-Chancellor’s Office (VCO) Team was awarded to the VCO Team as a walkover, while the Registry Team also secured a walkover victory over the College of Engineering (COLENG) Team.
The games continue tomorrow at the same venue.
