Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki, has promised a cash prize of N9 million to any three local governments that take between first and third positions in the state sports festival.
Obaseki made the promised on Monday while declaring open the third Edo Sports Festival at the University of Benin sports complex in Benin City.
He said the local government that took first position would take home N5 million, second N3 million and third N1 million, respectively.
“A cash prize of N5 million will be presented to the local government council which comes out first, N3 million to council that finishes second while the second runner up will be rewarded with N1 million,” he said.
The governor, who reiterated his administration’s commitment to sports development, noted that the third Edo State Festival was coming up 19 years after the second festival organised in 2001 by the former Governor Lucky Igbinedion-led administration.
He also disclosed that the state sport festival was geared towards preparing state-owned athletes for the forthcoming 20 National Sports Festival tagged “Edo 2020” scheduled to take place between March 22 and April 4.
He assured that the state sports festival would now be held annually in the state, however, urged athletes to obey the rules of the games just as he admonished them not be desperate in their quest to becoming a winner.
“I want to urge you to compete in Edo way and in doing that, I want you to stick to the rules of the game; it must not be a do-or-die affairs. I also want you to be good ambassadors of the state,” he said.
Earlier, the Edo State Sports Commission chairman, Godwin Dudu-Orumeh, said the festival would prepare the athletes for the 2020 National Sports Festival to be hosted by the state.
Orumeh noted that the festival would go a long way to promote peace and unity in the state.
Meanwhile, minister of youths and sports, Sunday Dare, has commended Governor Obaseki on the pace of work as well as the standard of facilities at the newly rebuilt Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium ahead of the 20th edition of the National Sports Festival (NSF).
Dare said this after inspecting the progress of work at the stadium. He was accompanied on the inspection tour by Governor Obaseki and the state deputy governor, Philip Shaibu.
He noted, “I can say the stadium is 90 per cent ready for the NSF. When I came here in November 2019, the tracks were not laid and the pitch was not at an advanced stage as it is today.
“This shows clearly that there has been consistent work ongoing here and there has been commitment from the governor and his deputy to ensure the stadium is completed within record time.”
In his remarks, Obaseki expressed optimism that the stadium would be 100 percent ready for the games by the first week of March, noting, “For us, the deadline is that by the end of the first week of March, this stadium should be ready so that every facility would be test run before the game.”
