Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun has said that finishing touches are being put on facilities in all the venues that would be used for the National Sports Festival tagged “Gateway Games 2024.”
Speaking while hosting Sports Editors under the aegis of the Guild of Sports Editors at the Olusegun Osoba Press Centre, Governor’s Office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, Governor Abiodun said facilities at the Alake Sports Centre and the M.K.O. Abiola Stadium have been brought up to date and are ready for use.
He said: “I want to assure you that we have put everything into the preparation. For us, this goes beyond just the National Sports Festival; this is what I call the ‘Sports Economy.’
“What does the Sports Festival represent? After the civil war, the government of Nigeria implemented a few measures to unite the country across tribal lines to ensure that our youths develop skills, leadership qualities, and interpersonal skills. If you do not do that, there is a tendency for the civil war to continue to degenerate. So it was an event that was going to unite Nigerians.
“We are very excited about this festival, and we are happy to host the nation. We are ready for this festival. You will see that as the days go by, you will be getting more and more pleasant surprises as we put the finishing touches on all the facilities at our various centres.”
Abiodun said infrastructure like a good road network, a conducive business environment, security, and economic reforms to attract more investors, as well as a comprehensive transportation system, among others, were put in place by his administration before bidding for the hosting rights of the festival.
Sports, the governor noted, is one of the means that unite the nation, promote skills, discipline, leadership, and nurture talents, adding that the forthcoming sporting event aims to discover more talents and nurture them to become world-beaters.
“We have been preparing our team (Team Ogun). This festival will be the first time all participants and contingents will stay in a game village, which will promote unity and encourage sharing of skills. This will further deepen the vision for which the sports festival was established.
“We believe that this will be one of our legacies, beyond the sports infrastructure and the entire ecosystem around the festival; it will increase the Gross Domestic Product of our state,” the governor added.
He said that already, the state sports facilities have begun to attract attention from international sporting organizations, as the African Athletics Confederation has indicated interest in staging the Under-18 and Under-20 African Championships in Abeokuta, having initially been billed to take place in Algeria.
While assuring adequate security during the event, he thanked the federal government and industries operating in the state for their support, emphasizing that though the state would like to win the competition, “our joy is hosting it for the right reasons. The games are a good talent-hunting ground. Our eyes are going to be wide open to identify athletes we can support to produce more like Tobi Amusan and others.”
He called for the support of sports journalists to make the event a success, assuring that “the opening ceremony would be one that has never been seen before.”
Speaking earlier, the President of the Guild of Sports Editors, Mr. Tony Ubani, noted the remarkable improvement in the facilities at the venues, especially the attractiveness of the M.K.O. Abiola Stadium, adding that though there are little challenges, with the level and speed of work going on, the state would deliver a world-class event.
He said since the eyes of the world would focus on the state, the Guild of Sports Editors would support the state by pointing out areas that needed amendment to enable the state to host the best National Sports Festival ever.
A highlight of the event was the appointment of Chief Segun Odegbami as the Grand Sports Ambassador of the State by Governor Abiodun.
