IBRAHIM QUADRI
At least nine students have emerged winners on Tuesday in the 2025 EKO Schools Arts & Crafts Competition across secondary and tertiary institutions of Lagos State.
The winners received recognition and scholarship awards to further develop their artistic journey.
The initiative which was spearheaded by the Senior Special Assistant to the State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Tourism, Arts and Culture, Damilola Ayinde-Marshal, Esq. was with the theme, ‘My Lagos, My Art.’
The Grand Finale took place at Adeyemi Bero, Alausa, Ikeja where various schools’ representatives across the Education Districts in the State were present.
Winners from the Junior category are: Israel Adedoyin, Government Junior Grammar School with creative work, Lagos in motion; Oluwatobi Kolawole, Ikorodu Junior Grammar School (Tie and Dye) and Desmond Awatefe, Tobvic College (Waste to Wealth).
For Secondary School Category, Alexis Agheta, Square College, Lekki (Eyo l’Oba); Maryam Owolewa, Oriwu Senior Model School (Learning through visuals) and Usa Pascal, Birrel Avenue Senior High School, Yaba (Makoko community in Lagos).
Tertiary Category are: Goodness Popoola, Lagos State University of Education, LASUED, with ‘Feminine figure depicting beauty); Azeez Aderibigbe, Lagos State University of Science and Technology, LASUSTECH (Two lovers depicting harmony) and Samuel Aina, Lagos State University of Education, LASUED have artwork (Aje: Wealth).
The Special Assistant to the Governor explained that the purpose of the competition was to shape the future of the creative economy and inspire others to embrace creative talents.
Ayinde-Marshal said, “Today marks a milestone in our journey to celebrate, empower and showcase the next generation of Lagos creative champions. This initiative is not just a competition. It’s a movement of discovery, innovation and cultural preservation.
“When we flagged off this meeting a few weeks ago, our goal was clear. To identify young gifted individuals whose artistic expressions could tell the story of Lagos, shape the future of our creative economy and inspire others to embrace their talents.
“I am proud to say that the overwhelming response we received, 153 entries from students across secondary schools and tertiary institutions, has surpassed our expectations.
“Each entry represented not only creativity, but also courage, imagination, and the vibrant spirit of the Lagos youth.
“The Governor’s unwavering belief in the transformative power of arts and creativity continues to guide us all, continues to guide all the plans, programmes and policies of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.”
She added the Eco-Schools Arts and Crafts Competition was conceived as an annual platform to discover and nurture young talents in painting, drawing, sculpture and art.
“Beyond competition, it serves as an incubator for skill development and a bridge between classroom learning and real-world creative enterprise.”
She disclosed that judges for the competition were carefully selected professionals in the creative sector, who evaluated all submissions based on creativity, originality, technical skill, relevance of theme, use of materials and overall presentation and impact.
“Art is more than just colours and textures, it is the soul of our heritage, the living expression of who we are as people. Every brush stroke, every carving, every creative piece tells a story about Lagos, its resilience, diversity and unstoppable energy.
“This competition is a deliberate step in the direction. It is a testament of our belief that when we invest in creativity, we invest in the future of our state,” she noted.
Speaking on behalf of the judges, Dr Fola David said, “I am really proud of every single one of you. For judging the categories, we used materials, there as paper material woodwork. We also had renewable materials being used, and that is very good.
“So, based on the materials used, and the quality and innovation, we also used originality and relevance to the theme. The story behind the art is very important, which is why during the submission, we asked for videos, and we received some very interesting videos that talked about or showed the artists talking about their work, which we found very interesting and very original.
He added, “The personal taste is also very important. And there’s also one other thing that the judges used in scoring the works, which is the quality of the submission, which is like the packaging, how you package and present the work back to us.
“We saw that every single person who submitted knows what they were doing and has a flair for art and definitely has a bright future with art,” the judge stated.
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