Get Guardian on GoogleBy Ernest Nzor, Abuja
As preparations intensify for the 22nd National Sports Festival, tagged Gateway Games Ogun 2025, the National Sports Commission (NSC) has inaugurated 19 sub-committees to ensure the successful hosting of the event, scheduled to take place from May 16 to 30, 2025.
The inauguration ceremony was held at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, with the Director General of the NSC, Bukola Olopade, presiding.
In his address, Olopade described the National Sports Festival as Nigeria’s version of the Olympics and a vital platform for discovering, nurturing, and developing top athletic talents to represent the country on the global stage.
He recalled that the Main Organising Committee, inaugurated by the former Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh, was tasked with ensuring a hitch-free and successful festival.
Olopade added that, given the caliber of individuals appointed to the sub-committees, he is confident that the mandate of the games will be achieved.
Olopade stated: “I am satisfied with the caliber of people that make up the sub-committees and have no doubt that the games will meet the expectations of Nigerians.”
He emphasised that the ultimate goal is to host a festival that will be appreciated nationally and internationally, stressing that anything short of excellence would not be acceptable.
In a statement, the Director of Information and PR of NSC, Mrs. Kehinde Ajayi, charged the committee members to be proactive and committed to delivering a seamless event, declaring that “failure is not an option.”
Earlier in her remarks, the Director of the National Sports Festival and Para-sports Department, Mrs. Thecla Opara, expressed confidence in the ability of the sub-committee members to deliver on their responsibilities.
She noted that the sub-committees serve as the foot soldiers of the Main Organising Committee, tasked with executing all necessary activities to ensure a smooth and successful festival.
Also speaking, Deputy Director Patrick Abobi, on behalf of the sub-committees, thanked the commission for the opportunity to serve.
