BENIN CITY – The 2nd Joint Technical Meeting for the 20th National Sports Festival (NSF) has ended in Benin City the Edo State capital with a review and update of critical activities towards a success useful fiesta.

An interface of the Main Organizing Committee (MOC) and the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) with Directors of Sports Federations, Sports Secretariats and other stakeholders afforded participants the opportunity for robust deliberations and exchange of new ideas in sports adminustration. They also disagreed on agreed on new guidelines and rules to be applied during the games.

Chairman MOC, Mr. Olusola Adesola who is also the Permanent Secretary Sports and Youth Development Ministry, on behalf of the participants, thanked the Chairman LOC and Deputy Governor of the host state, Rt. Hon. Comrade Philip Shaibu. According to him, “This is the second and final meeting before the year ends, to achieve critical milestones for March which is just 91 days before the opening ceremony for the sports festival.

I can assure you that the ministry is on course to actualize the aim of the festival come March 2020. Edo State has assured on it. I commend the extent of work at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium. Today, the light would be test run to check its effectiveness.

We want to create a robust interface between the LOC and MOC; a synergy that would lead to more concerted efforts.”

In his response, Chairman of the LOC, Rt. Hon. Comrade Philip Shaibu said, “We are ready to host the country by March 20, 2020.

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We are hosting to win while displaying digital equipment. We are repositioning and redefining how sports festivals should be held.

This is the first time hosting is returning back to states. We also want to reposition and return Edo State to sports limelight, it is ‘the return of the native’ because we want to return active and competitive sports to where they rightly belong, Edo State.

We will find a way to implement the findings of the this technical committee so as to build trust around the games.

What you have seen is just a tip of the iceberg compared with what we want to do with the building of 20 mini stadia in schools in the eighteen local government areas. This is to boost sporting activities at the grassroots to complement the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium.”

The secretary of the LOC gave an update of the activities of its secretariat while delegates were urged to gear up for a roadshow/Flagg off in support of Edo 2020 NSF slated for January 14, 2020 in Lagos State.

The floodlights at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium were later tested at night with a novelty match between the Edo State Government/Ex – Bendel Insurance Insurance FC and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) where the governor, Godwin Obaseki and his deputy, Philip Shaibu scored one goal apiece.