Organisers of the maiden Niger Delta Sports Festival (NDSF) have said that over 4, 000 accommodation will be provided to take care of athletes, officials, VIP guests, and others at the event, which is expected to boost economic activities in the host state, Akwa Ibom.

The NDSF organisers are projecting over 3,000-bed spaces for athletes and coaches, as well as over 2,000 hostel accommodations for administrators, organisers, and very important guests. This number excludes the expected influx of local and international media, scouts, sports enthusiasts, and tourists.

The Head, Special Duties of the festival, Onome Obruthe, confirmed that while collation of data on the exact number of various cadre of participants is ongoing, “we can at least confirm that athletes alone will account for close to 3000 from the nine Niger Delta states.

He said the festival has an international dimension as regulatory officials from international bodies would be part of the officiating officials in events such as athletics, wrestling, and weightlifting.

“We are working on accommodation for athletes, coaches, technical officials, administrators, organisers, and guests.

“This is approaching the size of a national sports festival and we are going in this direction to set the markers for sports development in line with the vision of the Federal Government to create a sports economy,” Obruthe stated.

The maiden NDSF, which will be held in Akwa Ibom from April 1 to 8, is open to the nine states that make up the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). The states are Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, and Delta. Others are Edo, Imo, Ondo, and Rivers.