The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, has pledged the federal government’s readiness to support the Edo State government in hosting the National Sports Festival slated to be held in Benin, the state capital.
The minister gave the assurance at the weekend when he paid a working visit to Governor Godwin Obaseki in his office in Benin where they agreed on April 2 for the festival.
“The federal government is ready and willing to provide financial support to host the National Sports Festival from April 2nd to 14th, 2021. The process is ongoing and sometimes, it takes time and it’s our hope and desire to monitor, follow through and hasten the process.
He said they have decided to work with the state’s deputy governor, Philip Shaibu, who heads the Local Organising Committee to convey to all the 36 state governors and their sports commission that camp opens on April 2 while the official opening will take place on April 6.
According to him, they are working with the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), and other stakeholders to make sure that necessary support in terms of vaccination is provided.
Earlier, Mr. Godwin Obaseki hailed the commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari to support the state in hosting the National Sports Festival.
He said the state was ready to host the sports tournament, noting that the postponement was very challenging for the state following the preparation and resources committed in hosting the games.
“We would be hosting up to 10,000 athletes and officials within 10 days of the game; it’s going to be expensive,” he said.
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