The first Chairman of the defunct Kwara State Sports Council, Pa Gabriel Babatunde Ladipo is dead. He died this afternoon, Friday March 8, 2024, at age 98.
The death was confirmed to sportsbash.com.ng by one of his sons, Sope Ladipo.
As an educationist and sports administrator, the former Principal of the Government Technical Training School (GTTS), Ilorin was more or less the foundation of sports in Kwara.
He was the fisrt Blackman to head GTTS
He was Principal of GTTS between 1967 and 1974, and was also the Head of Department of Technical Education, Kaduna State Polytechnic, and the Head of Department, Kwara State College of Education (Technical) between 1980 and 1986.
He made tremendous impact in sports as an athlete, coach, referee, trainer, handler, organizer, instructor, administrator and mobilizer.
His footprints are still crystal clear in sports development in states like Lagos, Kaduna, Kano, his own state, Kwara and others. He was instrumental to the construction of the Kwara State Stadium Complex, Ilorin.
Late Pa Ladipo was Chairman, Kwara State Sports Council between 1969 to 1972. He had vast Knowledge on sports, and contributed immensely to grassroots sports development in the state and Nigeria at large.
Until his demise, he was sound with memory on records of sporting events, and still played scrabble, his hobby of late, every day.
As an educationist, he was an advocate of Technical Education.
