The Main Organising Committee and the Local Organising Committee for the National Sports Festival scheduled to be hosted by Ogun State will start a two-day meeting on Monday.

Members of the two bodies arrived the beyond Limits Football Academy Hotel in the Remo Stars Stadium Complex on Sunday.

They are due to begin proceedings on Monday  at 10am.

After the early morning meeting both bodies will embark on a tour of the Gateway Stadium in Sagamu and the Remo Stars Stadium, venues for football matches and some indoor and outdoor events for the 22^nd edition of the National Sports Festival.

On Tuesday, similar facility visits will be made to the sporting complexes in Abeokuta.

The MOC is headed by Ismaila Abubakar, Permanent Secretary of Sports Development with Bukola Olapade, (Chairman LOC) as Vice Chairman.

Other members of the committee are Dr. Paul Onyeudo, Olufehinti Olusegun, Mohammed Manga, Gregory Zi, Ms Fadeke Fadeyibi,  Abolore Alanamu, Patrick Okeke, Mrs. Amaka Ashiofu, Prof. Olawale Moronkola,  Habu Gumel, Sunday Odebode, Emmanuel Utobo, Bamiduro Olumide and Brendan Ndifon.

The LOC on the other hand has Tilewa Adebajo as co-chairman and Kweku Tandoh as tje executive secretary.

Some of the other members are Falilat Ogunkoya, Modele Sarafa Yusuf, Emma Igbinosa, Dr. Ademola Are and Kunle Solaja.

On Tuesday, the members will travel to Abeokuta in the morning for facilities tour while the LOC will hold its own meeting later in the afternoon.

LOC boss, Olopade told our correspondent at the weekend that all was set for the meeting which will kick start preparation for the Ogun 2023 games in concrete terms.

Nigeria’s Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh on Tuesday inaugurated the Main Organising Committee (MOC) of the 22nd National Sports Festival slated to take place in Ogun State next year.

Inaugurating the committee at the media centre inside the MKO Abiola National Stadium Complex Abuja, the minister charged members of the committee to work hard to deliver a seamless and successful games next year.

The minister who noted that delivering a successful games requires hard work however noted that with the commitment of Ogun State Government and the calibre of members of the committee, he was optimistic that the committee would surmount all the challenges to deliver a successful games.

Enoh observed that the normal practice was for the funding of the games to be shared between the Ministry of Sports and the state hosting the games.

He stated that with the National Sports Industry Policy kicking in, sports should be seen as not only recreation but business.

He observed that after 22 editions, the National Sports Games has become a brand capable of attracting corporate  sponsorship.

The minister therefore encouraged the committee to package the games in such a way to make it attractive for the private sector to sponsor.

He described sports as a multi billion business adding that if private sector driven sports industry could work in other climes, there is no reason it should not work in Nigeria.

Senator Owan Enoh appealed to the private sector and corporate organizations to support sports development in the country.

Responding on behalf of the newly inaugurated committee, Ismaila Abubakar,the Permanent Secretary of the ministry and Chairman of the Organizing Committee informed the Minister that members of the committee were fully aware that the responsibility of organizing successful games rest on them.

He assured him that the committee would mobilise both human and material resources to ensure that the games is hosted without hitches.

Earlier, Wasiu Isiaka,the Ogun State Commissioner of Sports assured the Minister that the state was fully prepared to deliver a successful games.

The Main Organising Committee (MOC) of the National Sports Festival comprises Ismaila Abubakar, Permanent Secretary of Sports Development as Chairman and Bukola Olapade, (Chairman LOC) as Vice Chairman.

Other members of the committee are Dr. Paul Onyeudo, Olufehinti Olusegun, Mohammed Manga, Gregory Zi, Ms Fadeke Fadeyibi,  Abolore Alanamu, Patrick Okeke, Mrs. Amaka Ashiofu, Prof. Olawale Moronkola,  Habu Gumel, Sunday Odebode, Emmanuel Utobo, Bamiduro Olumide and Brendan Ndifon.

BY UZOR ODIGBO

As the 7th National Youth Games beckons, Gombe State is probably the only participating state from the North East that will contest  for medals in just one discipline – athletics.

The Gombe State Sports Commission had trials for the Games, but the  state government did not release funds for  the anticipated contingent.

The athletics team will be featuring owing to the philanthropy of  Ahmed Shuaibu Gara Gombe who is sponsoring over 25 athletes and officials through his athletics academy.

Prince Simon Ayuba, the director of the academy and technical assistant to Alhaji Gara Gombe, told TheNiche that the gesture was to avert a total absence of the state at the games.

He was of the opinion that sending the athletics team will enable them to get the necessary exposure and to strengthen

their bond with fellow youths in the spirit of “One Nigeria’.

” We are ready to participate at the National Youth Games but not too crazy about winning medals, if medals come, we will thank God, Ayuba told TheNiche newspaper.