Funmi Ogundare
The Yoruba Tennis Club (YTC) is set to host Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, as guest speaker at its centenary anniversary lecture, an event designed not only to celebrate the club’s 100-year legacy but also to foster reflection, intellectual engagement and meaningful conversations on issues of importance to society.
The lecture, titled ‘Built to Last: A Century at the Forefront and the Long Work of Making a City,’ will hold on September 15, at the Greetings Hall of the Yoruba Tennis Club, Onikan, Lagos, as part of activities marking the club’s 100th anniversary.
The event will also feature the launch of the centenary history book of the club and the groundbreaking ceremony for its centenary legacy project.
The General Secretary, Lookman Kotun, in a statement, noted that the intellectual engagement with Sanwo-Olu is expected to provide an opportunity for members, guests and stakeholders to discuss governance and the development of Lagos State, while reflecting on the role of institutions such as YTC in the social and civic life of the country.
He described Sanwo-Olu as a leader with experience in both the private and public sectors.
The centenary celebration will also feature the Norman Williams exhibition, which will be open to members of the public, researchers, historians and cultural enthusiasts.
“The exhibition will showcase the history, heritage and institutional memory of the club through archival photographs, vintage sporting equipment, historic club journals, foundational documents and other memorabilia,” Kotun stated.
He added that It will also chronicle the evolution of the club from its modest beginnings at 75 Tokunboh Street, where it was established in 1926 as the Orelodun Tennis Club, to its emergence as one of Nigeria’s foremost indigenous social institutions.
Kotun stated that the exhibition would provide visitors with an opportunity to explore its contributions to the social, cultural and intellectual development of Lagos and Nigeria over the past century.
“Founded in 1926, YTC has, over the decades, served as a hub for dialogue, fellowship and leadership, while preserving its traditions and engaging with major developments in the nation’s history,” he said.
The centenary celebration, themed ‘A Century at the Forefront of History and Tradition’, he said, reflects the club’s resolve to honour its past while sustaining its relevance to Nigeria’s cultural and intellectual development.