Jodan Academy wins Mobility Arts’ martial arts contest

Jodan Prolific Martial Arts Academy has won the maiden Mobility Arts’ Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Martial Arts competition tagged Clash of Gladiators held at the Suki ground playing, FESTAC Town in Lagos.

Jodan Academy won a total of eight gold, Moral Ville Academy, Amuwo Odofin Festac came second with six gold and St. Jude School Taekwondo Club came third with four gold, among a total of registered 75 participants and 92 martial art kids.

The best fighter of the event was won by George Ager of Jodan Prolific, coming second was Daniel Abhulimen of Early Spring Montessori and the third position went to Stephanie Ager of Jodan Prolific Martial Arts Academy.

Organiser of event and Chief Executive Officer of Mobility Arts Nigeria Limited, George Ager, said the competition was in conformity with Nigerian Communications Commission’s mandate on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to all licensed mobile service outfits.

According to Ager, the choice of martial arts as their CSR was for a sport that had been long forgotten but with practitioners still very much around. He said the only way the martial arts can be brought back to life was by encouraging its involvement.

“We are a mobile value added services company, which provides value added service solution to mobile operators. As a Nigerian Communications Commission licensee, we are mandated to take up a social responsibility in the community we are operating.

“Though our services are used nationwide, but our immediate locality is in Amuwo Odofin. We choose this community so as to kick-start our CSR, which is giving back to the society. You may want to ask why martial art and why starting with the kids.

“The reason is that we tried to look for those sporting activities that people had forgotten about and where the practitioners are still very much alive to the sport. And we decided to encourage them to maintain their level of involvement.

“However, the choice of the sport for the kids was to encourage the young people from the elementary level to inculcate this kind of sport into their everyday discipline. This is not just a sport, it is an act holistically; it involves how you shape your behaviour, how you shape your conduct in the public, how you project yourself to the society. Meanwhile, we intend to go into other sport and volleyball is the other sport that has suffered neglect,” he stated.

The Martial Art Instructor, Austin Jooda, who is also a fifth degree black belt holder and former national and West Africa champions, said he was excited by the choice of martial art by the mobile servicing firm as the game has been on a decline in the FESTAC area.

“I decided to tutor the children martial art because of what it will benefit them in their studies, help them to focus on their studies and their teachers during lessons. And there are testimonies by parents of the tremendous impact the game has had on these children,” he said.