Tragedy struck the Kano State delegation returning from the National Sports Festival in Ogun, as several members were confirmed dead in an accident.
According to reports, the bus transporting the athletes crashed at Dakatsalle Bridge, about 50 kilometres from Kano, after passing through Kaduna State.
A viral video from the scene indicates the vehicle skidded off the bridge, leading to the devastating incident.
Confirming the heartbreaking development, Umar Bala Fagge, Chairman of the Kano State Sports Commission, said the bus was transporting around 30 athletes at the time of the crash.
“Yes, it’s true. The coaster bus was conveying about 30 athletes when the accident happened,” Fagge stated.
Although official casualty figures are yet to be released, rescue operations are ongoing and the death toll is feared to rise.
The 22nd National Sports Festival in Abeokuta lived up to Ogun State executive governor Prince Dapo Abiodun’s promises to make the games spectacular. Abiodun also provided the platforms for people in Ogun State to key into the different levels of economic activities before and during the games. This allowed the state to appreciate the extent of economic gains the festival created for their businesses. It was heartening that Abiodun bought into the suggestion of having a functional night activity during the games. This singular act brought bountiful harvests for those who provided the goods and services at night, as it ensured that the state government secured the city throughout the competition.
Prince Abiodun, whilst reeling out how he planned to make the festival the benchmark for subsequent editions, took time to celebrate the state’s arts and cultural heritage potentials, not losing sight of the gains associated with making the Olumo Rock a sight-seeing adventure for visitors. Indeed, Ogun State is the heaven of admired clothing, and it was quite a spectacle watching how athletes and their officials scramble to buy them for personal use and as worthy gift apparel when they get home at the end of the games.
Thank you, Prince Abiodun, for accepting to host the sports festival for the second time with the gains of the laudable way the games went not lost on critical stakeholders. The National Sports Festival is the premium competition of the National Sports Commission (NSC). And it amounted to good thinking by the immediate past Sports Minister, Sunday Dare, when he accepted the Ogun State’s offer to host the 22nd of the festive, which is easily one of the best editions of the multi-sports competition.
It gladdens my heart that the next hosts of the competition are the Enugu State people where I did my NYSC in the early 1980s, although the State was known as Anambra State, From the hilltop of Awgu the NYSC camp to Awka, fond memories of Igwebuike Boys High School to Enugu State Sports Council, where I had a close relationship with great Enugu Rangers FC players such as the late Ogidi Ibuabuchi. I also remember ace cricketer Mbamalu (where are you now?).
Interestingly, the Enugu State Government has promised to organise a quality 23rd National Sports Festival (NSF) in December 2026 in the state. Lloyd Ekweremadu, Commissioner for Sports in the State, said this at a news conference in Abeokuta on Thursday.
“I must say that Ogun has done well, we assure you that you can expect a better deal in Enugu,” he said.
One of the best federations in the country is the table tennis federation – easily the federation that has a calendar of activities that keeps the kids busy. What is missing in this deluge of competitions is adequate training and retraining of the coaches who teach them. When pitched against better-exposed stars, they start the process of losing games from the way they stand behind the table. Every stroke offered is decoded by the
opponents who have taken their time to watch past tapes of their foes, a practice we hardly do here. No one goes to battle blindfolded, not knowing what to expect. This is the biggest problem with Nigerian athletes. Too much guesswork. No proper grooming.
It is important to stress here that immediately after the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, the Jamaicans went back home to re-strategise using the American models of grooming athletes from the schools. The Jamaicans sent their sportsmen and women to America and even brought good coaches from America to create the structures for growth which they stuck to religiously.
One of the greatest female sprinters in the world was a Jamaican, Merlene Ottey before the Jamaicans took the challenge to the Americans. In the 1980 Moscow Games, Ottey became the first female English-speaking Caribbean athlete to win an Olympic medal when she took the bronze. In the 2000 Olympics, at age 40, Ottey became the oldest female track and field medallist when she anchored the Jamaican women’s 4×100 metres to a silver medal. With the disqualification of Marion Jones, she was awarded the bronze medal in the 100 metres, making her the oldest individual medallist.
The Jamaicans have stolen the thunder of the Americans in the sprints and even other track and field events. The myth surrounding the Americans in world athletics (track and field events), especially in the sprints was broken by the Reggae boys and girls.
This is the kind of attitude Nigeria’s athletics needs to adopt if we truly want to return to the glory days of yore.
The question to ask the NSC chieftains rests on the fact that this festival held in Abeokuta has propped up several potential athletes who, with adequate preparations, could make the medals’ podium at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. Therefore, what should Nigerians expect from the NSC’s templates to ensure that the country breaks her duck at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games? At the root of whatever template there is at the NSC and the urgent need for a sports calendar for Nigeria which everyone can follow, especially the private sector and deep-pocket sports enthusiasts.
But does the NSC have the coaches to groom those discovered in Abeokuta to stardom at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games? It remains to be seen. Frankly speaking, our coaches are ill-equipped for the job, especially with the derelict conditions of most of the stadiums in the country. With rustic facilities around the country, there is little these coaches can do. They are left with the tardy option of making good of what they can get. We are left with only one option – always going to Europe to set up camping sites and paying heavily in hard currencies to train for weeks leading to the major sporting tournaments. The sore point is that these endless trips to foreign countries to train have remained the norm, leaving the facilities worse than they were with every turn of sporting events.
For Nigeria to catch up with the others, she must cultivate the habit of hosting major sporting competitions. That is the only way the Nigerian government can fund the repair works of the rustic facilities in the country.
A blueprint is sacrosanct for sports to thrive and it must be anchored on the dire need to resuscitate moribund grassroots competitions that engage youths, taking them away from the vices of the society.
The emergence of a sports policy endorsed by the government will create jobs, such that this industry could, in the next 10 years, become the highest employer of labour.
The policy should challenge local government chairmen to build at least four mini-sports centres that would serve as playgrounds for their constituents in the absence of such structures in the schools in the 774 local government areas.
Multiply four mandatory mini-sports centres by 774 local governments, and what you get (3,096 mini-sports centres) would set the platform for the industry to grow. Blue-chip companies will then leverage their products and services on this enterprise since their target audience is the masses who will throng the centres to watch competitions.
The spiral effect of blue-chip firms identifying with this new initiative is that the local government areas could recoup their investments because they could offer to name these facilities after the firms alongside other marketing windows that the initiatives offer, such as kitting and moulding the career paths of athletes discovered to stardom.
The Bayelsa women’s basketball team secured their third consecutive National Sports Festival gold medal after they successfully defended their title at the National Sports Festival in Ogun State.
They secured a commanding 59-37 victory over host team Ogun State in the final.
Over 1,000 fans at the Alake Sport Centre in Ijeja, Abeokuta, witnessed the intense match, which underscored Bayelsa’s superior skill and strategic play.
“We came down to Ogun to defend our title and we did it in grand style,” said Bayelsa coach Tony Nelson after the game. “We sacrificed a lot to get to this stage, and this is our third straight gold. We did it in Edo, Delta, and now Ogun. We are poised to keep the record going.”
The Bayelsa team’s victory was a testament to their strong defense and transition game, which they had been working on in the lead-up to the final.
“We have been practicing our defense and transition, and it paid off today,” said Godgift Joseph, a key player for Bayelsa. “We are so excited to win gold again, and playing against the crowd was also another motivation for my team. I love my girls; they are so committed and hardworking, and today you saw it yourself with our display on the court.”
The Ogun State team, despite their valiant effort, struggled to contain the Bayelsa team’s offence.
Coach Nelson’s tactical switch of players proved effective in denying Ogun State space to shoot and limiting their scoring opportunities.
The Bayelsa team’s dominance was evident throughout the game, and their third consecutive gold medal win cements their status as one of the top female basketball teams in the country.
US-based tennis star Christopher Bulus has won gold in the men’s singles tennis event at the Ongoing National Sports Festival in Ogun State.
Bulus competing for the hosts, Ogun State, achieved the feat after defeating David Ekpenyong of Bayelsa State in the final. He won 6-2 2-0 retired.
Meanwhile in the Women’s Singles final, Barakat Quadri of Delta State was outstanding against Yakubu Ohunene of Ogun State, winning 6-1 6-1 to go home with the gold medal.
Speaking after the match, Barakat Quadri said the victory was well deserved.
“It was an exciting final as I was playing against the fans favourite but I played better. It is my determination to win gold at every single event I play,” he said.
Her opponent Yakubu Ohunene who came second in the Women’s Singles event was happy playing against the country’s best female tennis player.
“I feel really happy to win something but I felt I could have done better perhaps going for the gold. I think it was a good experience for me because I played better against her this time. I know I will do better next time we meet again”.
Earlier President of the Nigeria Tennis Federation Engineer Ifedayo Akindoju was of the opinion that tennis is growing in Nigeria.
“The final matches were epic, very good. At some point one of the players had some cramps and slow down the game but all the same the level was high, I am satisfied with the standard”.
Tennis events at the 22nd National Sports Festival will end tomorrow, 28th May.
Ogun State Governor Prince Dapo Abiodun said the ongoing National Sports Festival has positively impacted the state’s economy.
The governor also called on financial institutions in the state to collaborate with his administration to strengthen Small and Medium Scale Enterprises, as they are the backbone of manufacturing and industrial activities.
Abiodun stated this when he received the management staff of Access Bank, who paid him a courtesy call in his office at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
He noted that the decision to host the National Sports Festival was to consolidate the achievements recorded in the area of infrastructure provision, which has made the state the investment destination for investors and to seek another avenue to showcase it as the tourism and hospitality capital of Nigeria.
He said the festival has had a positive impact on the economy of the state, with all sectors benefiting.
He said: “We have become the toast of investors and manufacturers across all sectors. In addition to all that, we decided to bid for the National Sports Festival as we have all the required infrastructure.
“We want to be known for other platforms as well. We don’t want to be identified as Nigeria’s industrial capital alone; we want to be described as the tourism and hospitality capital of Nigeria. We want to prove that when we decide on something, we do it well.
“On the 18th of this month, we had the opening ceremony, which I believe has gone down in history as the best opening ceremony of the National Sports Festival. Beyond the ceremony, it has been recognized as the best organized, as all the athletes are being camped at our Olympic-style game village.
“Transportation, feeding, and the entire organization of the games are excellent. It has been a platform to showcase our state to the world, and I am very excited about the opportunities it has presented,” Abiodun explained.
“There is a need to find a way to quantify the impact of these games on the economy of Ogun State because we have people selling water, recharge cards, clothing, sportswear, and of course, Adire.
“On Saturday, I went around different venues, and everywhere was bustling with commercial activities; it was unbelievable. The market ran out of Adire because they couldn’t keep up, as we have over 9,500 athletes and officials, totalling about 12,000.”
The governor, who understands the importance of small-scale enterprises in the economy of a nation, said they offer employment to a large population and ensure that the economy is on track.
He said: “We are also particularly focused on strengthening our Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) because they are the backbone of manufacturing and industrial activities.
“We have revived the Adire industry. In the past, the Chinese came here, copied our Adire, went back home, and brought their own, which they sold at a cheaper price. We need to support the Adire Value Chain. The Value Chain starts with the person selling the fabrics to the person selling the dye to the person tying and dyeing, and of course, to the tailors.
“So you can imagine how much we have been able to strengthen that entire value chain. We would like to see how you can partner with us in this regard.”
He appreciated the bank for its role in stabilizing his administration at inception and lauded it for its growth from a one-branch financial house to the largest commercial bank in Nigeria with 24 markets.
“Be assured that we will continue to be a part of that success story and deepen our partnership by working closely with you to unlock the potentials of our state, as there is still a lot to do,” the governor added.
Speaking earlier, the Managing Director of Access Bank, Mr. Roosevelt Ogbonna, said the relationship between the bank and the state has gone beyond customer-client as it has blossomed under the present administration.
He commended the governor for enhancing infrastructure and providing a conducive business environment for investors, adding that the agenda he has for the state is paying off, as economic activities are spreading across the state, thereby positively affecting people’s lives.
While appreciating the government and people of the state for standing by the bank during the demise of its former Chief Executive, Herbert Wigwe, Ogbonna said the bank would focus on and encourage the government to find solutions to any daunting problems and ensure that the vision of the present administration is achieved.
Former Green Eagles’ captain Segun Odegbami has lauded the organization and template of the on-going National Sports Festival, tagged Gateway Games 2024, saying that it has restored the original objectives of the founding fathers, which was initiated in the aftermath of the Nigerian civil war to foster bonding and unity among Nigerians.
Odegbami, a Grand Sports Ambassador for the games, gave this commendation during an interview with TVC.
Praising the vision of the Dapo Abiodun-led administration for the games, Odegbami said housing of athletes, transport logistics, and the provision of facilities during the 22nd edition of the festival were unique and would enhance the discovery of young talents.
He also lauded the Federal Government for integrating a contingent of young athletes outside of the state contingents to compete at the games.
He said: “The objective really is to compete; we are talking sports, so young people are back. In fact, the Federal Government, through the National Sports Commission, brought in a contingent of young, talented athletes, different from all the other athletes from the states, to come and compete with whatever the states brought together.
“That has brought focus to the discovery of young talents again, and you could see the celebration that this has caused.
“That team has started winning medals; they are not representing any state in the country. In the past, we used to have this shenanigan where states would go and hire athletes from different places, and so on, which diluted the products that we had.
“But now it appears that everything is going back to focus; all the athletes, over 12,000 of them, are housed in a village, so they are together.
“You can imagine what is going on there: true integration. Young people from different parts mingling, eating, and all of that.
“By the time they leave that place, it is eternal friendship, the original objective for which the games were set up.
“So little things like that are happening in the Gateway Games that were not there before, and this is helping us to restore those objectives for which the National Sports Festival was set up.”
Odegbami, who recalled that his football career started at the NSF in the 1973 festival, said the festival gave him the opportunity to represent the country, adding that the organisers of Ogun 2024 had done a terrific job in structuring the festival along the same path of talent discovery.
“I was a young student; I was in school in Ibadan, and I was invited to play for the Western State team. I went in there, played my first international match, and realized that I was even good for the first time.
“I went to the festival, and after it, I was invited to the national team in December of 1973. That was the beginning. I was not part of the team that put this together. Whoever did it did a terrific job. I just came in two weeks ago when I was made Grand Sports Ambassador, and I have been looking at what is going on, and I must confess that I am amazed.
“It is like there was a vision, and that vision encapsulates what I had been thinking needed to be done to harness the opportunities that exist in this kind of game.
“The first is this: you see, the sports themselves, the running and jumping, are the least activities in the games.
“The greater activity is putting the festival together—where would they (the athletes) stay, where would they eat, how would they be transported, what kind of security would you need, and so on and so forth.
“That takes up almost 90 percent of this entire project. To put together those things is mind-boggling.
“Once you start focusing on those systems, you create an ecosystem: cultural, economic, and so on. So, for the first time, we are looking at developing an ecosystem out of these games,” he added.
Five-time world champions Golden Eaglets and FIFA World Cup-bound Flamingos have been adding colour and panache to the ongoing 22nd National Sports Festival in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
The two teams are part of the exciting new concept of IJA (Invited Junior Athletes) which has drawn praise from observers and stakeholders since the commencement of the Games.
The Golden Eaglets are in a three-team pool, and have already shot their way to the quarter-finals of the football event after a 2-1 win over Edo State on Monday, and a scoreless draw with Delta State on Tuesday. Abdulmuiz Adeleke and Mohammed Imrana were the scorers for the Eaglets.
The Flamingos, who flew over and above South Africa and Algeria to reach their eighth FIFA World Cup finals, drew 0-0 with Abia State on Monday and defeated Delta State 1-0 yesterday Defender Jumai Adebayo was the scorer.
Tomorrow, the Flamingos will take on Lagos State, and conclude their attrition in group B with a game against Enugu State on Saturday.
Ogun, host of the on-going 22ndNational Sports Festival, appeared to be showing dominance with wins in many of the events concluded yesterday in some of the venues of competition across the state.
In the women’s handball fiesta roughened out at the Alake sports Centre, Ijeja in Abeokuta, Ogun female team trounced the opponents from Kogi State 32-20 points.
The tension – soaked encounter witnessed Team Ogun dominating the first half by scoring 16 goals, while Team Kogi managed to pull 11 goals.
In the same vein, the male football match played at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne-Remo, Team-Ogun defeated Federal Capital Territory FCT Abuja 3-1 with Joseph Abba grabbing a brace in the match.
Speaking after the match at Alake Sports Centre, Ijeja, Team Ogun’s (Handball) head coach, Shola Sekoni, expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance and commended the state government for providing the enabling environment.
“I must first thank the governor for giving us this game. We just started so I will give them 50 percent. I believe we are qualifying and we are getting to the final.
“At the beginning, it was great but when we saw that we were losing energy later we had to change our game.
“They cannot understand our pattern. Our next match is against Plateau, our girls are not leaving any stone unturned to ensure we win,” he said
Meanwhile, Ogun State’s Female Football Team is taking a bold step towards making it to the semi-finals at the on-going National Sports Festival.
The state’s Female Football Team yesterday pulled a 2-2 draw with Edo State in their second-round encounter played at the Babcock University football pitch.
This comes after the team’s stand out performance of 3-1 win over Benue State in the opening match.
Early goal scored by player Kafayat Bashir gave Ogun State the initial lead but the gain was short-lived as Edo State fought back to equalize the score through Zainab Adams. With the result, the Ogun State team has garnered four points from two matches, positioning them to qualify for the semi-finals.
Their next encounter will be against Osun State tomorrow even as the coach Oluyomi Adewusi has expressed the confidence that the team will bring home the gold from the competition.
No fewer than 23 states have arrived in Ogun State for the 2024 National Sports Festival (NSF), even as Vice President Kashim Shettima will formally declare the Games open today.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the biennial festival is to officially commence on Sunday.
The Director General, National Sports Commission (NSC), Bukola Olopade, disclosed in an interview with NAN on Saturday in Abeokuta.
Olopade told NAN that there were visible signs that the state would host the best festival in the history of the country.
“Twenty-three states are already in the camp; their feeding and welfare are top-notch and seamless.
“I just spoke with leaders of four states who are already praising the state.
“Globally, if you have an event of this nature, the first thing is accommodation and feeding,” he said.
NAN observed that finishing touches were ongoing at the MKO Abiola Stadium, Kuto, Abeokuta, venue of the opening ceremony.
NAN also observed that different cultural troops were at the main bowl of the stadium rehearsing performances for the ceremony.
Some sports fans and analysts who spoke to NAN expressed confidence that the festival would surpass the successes recorded in the last edition in Delta State.
Mr Abiodun Alabi, an Abeokuta-based sports journalist, told NAN that he believed that the sports festival would be better than the previous edition.
Alabi expressed hope that new talents would be discovered from the festival.
Gateway Games will open with a colourful ceremony that promises cultural splendor and athletic excellence.
Ogun State Governor, His Excellency, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has assured the nation that the state is fully prepared to host athletes, officials, and guests from across the country.
This year’s edition breaks new ground with the introduction of a symbolic ‘38th state’—the Invited Junior Athletes (IJA)—a team of exceptional young talents competing independently to spotlight Nigeria’s future champions.
Over 10,000 athletes from all 36 states, the Federal Capital Territory, and the IJA team will compete in 33 sports, making this edition one of the most extensive in the festival’s rich history. It stands as a celebration not just of athletic talent, but of the enduring spirit of the Nigerian people.
Beyond the competition, Gateway Games Ogun 2024 will showcase Nigeria’s diverse cultural heritage. From the pageantry of the opening and closing ceremonies to daily exhibitions of traditional music, dance, and art, the festival promises to be a grand celebration of the nation’s identity.
Events will take place across multiple venues, including the Alake Sports Centre, MKO Abiola Stadium, Remo Stars Stadium, and other key facilities. The Games Village will be hosted at Babcock University, providing a comfortable and secure environment for athletes and officials.
From today, May 16th , Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State and its adjoining towns of Remo, Sagamu and Ikenne, would be a beehive of activities through May 30th as the 22nd National Sports Festival otherwise known as Gateway Games Ogun 2024, gets underway. A spectacular Opening Ceremony on Sunday, May 18th , will officially kick-start what should be an unforgettable two weeks of intense competition and camaraderie amongst competing athletes and officials, writes MORAKINYO ABODUNRIN
For veteran journalist and ‘walking encyclopaedia on sports ’, Segun Adenuga, the National Sports Festival launched in 1973, has become a vibrant celebrations of athleticism, community spirit, and cultural unity hence the spirits of its forefathers would surely hover Abeokuta and other adjoining sports centres in Ogun State, as the state play host to the games for the second time in its history.
Now in its 22nd edition, the National Sports Festival is a biennial multi-sport event organised by the Federal Government of Nigeria through the National Sports Commission(NSC) for athletes from the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.
Originally conceived as a ‘unifying tool’ with the main purpose of promoting peace and cross-cultural affiliation in Nigeria after the Nigerian Civil War in 1970, Adenuga reckoned that the games have since assumed a life of its own, serving as a bedrock for the discovery and grooming of budding talents that would eventually hoist the country’s flags at continental and global championships.
“We have to give credits to the founding fathers of the National Sports Festival and kudos must be given to former Military Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon along with the late Minister of Finance and astute politician, Chief Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo as well as the late Major General Henry Adefowope (President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee from 1967 to 1976),” Adenuga, the erstwhile General Manager of Stationery Stores, said as much in an interview with Yomi Opakunle on his popular potpourri sports show, Ọba Ori Odan ( King of the Pitch) on Lagos-based Miliki FM radio station during the week.“ I think, Ogun State is lucky because two of the architects of the National Sports Festival which first held in 1973,were from the state and I’m talking about chief Awolowo who was from Ikenne and Adefowope who hailed from Odogbolu. You can see how the history of the National Sports Festival intertwined with Ogun State.”
Adenuga, regarded as an expository of knowledge as far as organised sports (particularly football) in Nigeria and West Africa is concerned, said the ‘three musketeers’ of Gowon, Awolowo and Adefowope, practically adopted the template of the inaugural Africa Games held in Congo Brazzaville in 1965 to conceptualize the National Sports Festival.
“ As a matter of fact, the National Sports Festival is an off-shoot of the maiden (All) Africa Games held in Congo,” the Septuagenarian continued.“ Following the hosting of the first (All) Africa Games in Congo Brazzaville in 1965 with about 30 countries in attendance, the Gowon-led Military regime wasted no time to give birth to the National Sports Festival.
“Nigeria actually came second behind Egypt (United Arab Republic), with Kenya in third position, at that games in Brazzaville and it was partly as a result of this as well as the discovery of talents that the government at that time felt the need for the National Sports Festival.”
Humble start in 1973
According to Adenuga, other factors such as national unity and integration of the youths , were some of the other factors that ensured the launch of the National Sports Festival, adding the platform had since become an avenue for talent discovery for Team Nigeria over the years.
He further remarked:“ The first National Sports Festival in 1973 was held in Lagos with 12 states as we had then and it was also Lagos that hosted the second edition in 1975 before Kaduna hosted the 1977 edition.
“ It was from the National Sports Festival that we began to see the avalanche of talents that later represented the country at various international championships and that has been the case over the years.
“ For instance, it was at the 1977 edition in Kaduna that we first saw that great boxer Davidson Andeh who represented the old Bendel State ( now known separately as Edo and Delta States). It was also in Kaduna that year that we saw a certain Felicia Ochonogor, there was also the discovery of a certain swimmer Valerie Oloyede from Oyo State who won about five gold medals at that 1977 National Sports Festival and I interviewed her then while I was with The Punch Newspapers; and we have had several other great talents that including the likes of Modupe Oshikoya, the trio from the Ibito family, Olawunmi Majekodunmi in table tennis and the rest over the years.
“ I first saw Falilat Ogunkoya as a bare-footed athlete that dusted many established stars who were on the spike shoes and that was in Lagos.
“ So the National Sports Festival is not just a child’s play at all ,” he added.
Yet Adenuga believes the National Sports Festival can make more sense if current organisers adopt the initial template that saw athletes compete across three levels including junior, intermediate and senior categories.
“ I think we can be better off with the National Sports Festival to allow the Elite Athletes to compete separately because the platform originally was for discovery of fresh talents,” Adenuga counselled.
“ Frankly, we should discourage states from presenting established and Elite Athletes for the National Sports Festival because the festival should strictly be for discovery of new talents that we can groom to stardom.
“ We should ensure that the National Sports Festival follows the biennial cycle as envisioned by its forefathers because it’s a sort of conveyor’s belt in the discovery of budding talents
For Adenuga, this 22nd National Sports Festival, is indeed a landmark since it’s a ‘home coming’ of some sort after the Gateway State last hosted the rest of the country in 2006.
“I’m happy that Ogun State is hosting the National Sports Festival again,” Adenuga fondly called Anene or West Coast by close admirers, stated matter-of-factly.
“ We can say for a fact that Ogun State through its sons( Awolowo and Adefowope) were part of the people that gave birth to the National Sports Festival, so this is a good opportunity for the state to put out a good show again,” he said.
Largest gathering in Ogun
The chief protagonists of the National Sports Festival at the National Sports Commission, said this Gateway Games Ogun 2024, is more than a sporting competition but a national celebration of unity, culture, and development.
“The festival will feature 33 sports, drawing participation from all 36 states of the federation, the FCT, and invited junior athletes, with over 10,000 athletes expected to compete,” the NSC posited. “It promises to be one of the largest gatherings of sports talent in the history of the event.
“Ogun State, deeply rooted in heritage and tradition, is set to offer a powerful display of Nigerian culture. From vibrant performances during the opening and closing ceremonies to daily exhibitions of art, dance, and indigenous craftsmanship, the festival will celebrate the diversity that defines the nation.
“ Visitors and participants alike will have the opportunity to engage with local customs and cultural expressions from all regions of Nigeria.”
Incidentally, the Governor of Ogun State Prince Dapo Abiodun has enthused that the Gateway Games Ogun 2024 would be the best in history after pulling all the stops to put the facilities in tip-top shape at the MKO Abiola Sports Complex in Abeokuta and other sports centres in the state for the fiesta.
“This Gateway Games Ogun 2024 will be the benchmark for the National Sports Festival in Nigeria,” a confident Prince Abiodun stated a fortnight ago during a media parley . “We are very deliberate about it (hosting the National Sports Festival) and I’m sure you know I came from the private sector which is the same with almost all members of my team.
“We are aware that sport unite the people despite our various differences. Again, we are trying to set good standards and wants this National Sports Festival, Gateway Games Ogun 2024, holding in 2025 to be the benchmark in the history of the National Sports Festival in the country.
“The LOC and government have been working day and night to put finishing touches to our preparations. I can boldly say that ‘we are ready’.
Indeed, the readiness of the Gateway State to host its second National Sports Festival would be under scrutiny for many reasons.
Novel Invited Junior Athletes
Apart from the fact that this is the first time all athletes and accompanied officials would be housed and fed under the same room like a games village setting during the Olympics Games, the Gateway Games Ogun 2024 would for the first time in history accommodate a 38th team with the assemblage of Invited Junior Athletes (IJA) under the auspices of the NSC.
“Introduced by the National Sports Commission (NSC) as a bold innovation, the IJA concept was borne out of the need to nurture the nation’s brightest young sports prospects,” the NSC further stated. “Dubbed the ‘38th State’, the (IJA) team heading to the NSF comprises just over 100 teenage athletes selected from across Nigeria to compete against more established counterparts in about 11 sports at the upcoming National Sports Festival.
“The NSC’s vision is to provide these young athletes a rare platform to test their skills on a grand stage while accelerating their development in a highly competitive environment. And with the IJA camp currently buzzing with energy and optimism, that vision is beginning to take shape.
“The IJA will compete in athletics, badminton, football, para athletics, swimming, table tennis, tennis, wrestling, and weightlifting. These sports were strategically selected to align with Nigeria’s strength zones while preparing the next generation of stars for national and international contests.”
Colourful Opening Ceremony
As the contingents from across the 36 states and the FCT troops into Ogun State, Governor Abiodun has hinted that the readiness of the gateway State would be there for us to see on Sunday when the official Opening Ceremony of the festival holds at the newly-renovated MKO Sports Complex.
“We are going to have a colourful and spectacular opening ceremony unlike anything seen before in the history of the National Sports Festival,” a confident Abiodun said. “Beyond the opening ceremony, we want attendees to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience at the games, which is why we are ensuring all our tourist centres are in top shape before the festival begins.
“We want our visitors to look forward to returning to Ogun State, which is why we have temporarily closed all our tourist centres, including the popular Olumo Rock, to ensure they are in excellent condition for our guests to enjoy during the games.
“We want all our visitors to feel at home and enjoy the beautiful atmosphere set for the festival,” he added.
For the state’s Commissioner of Sports, Honourable Wasiu Isiaka, the Gateway Games Ogun 2024, would indeed leave a lasting legacy.
. “We are not just putting all these facilities in place for people to come and compete and go rather we want to use this opportunity to reignite the love for sports in our state,” he said firmly.
