Sports Festival: Garden City is N83m richer

Preparations for the successful hosting of the 17th National Sports Festival (NSF), tagged “Garden City Games 2011” billed to hold in Port Harcourt from June 27 to July 11, 2011, received a boost last night with the sum of N83 million realized at a fund raising dinner.

Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, speaking at the dinner held at the Atlantic Hall, Hotel Presidential, Port Harcourt, called on well meaning Nigerians in both the public and private sectors to partner with the State Government to ensure the success of the festival.

The Governor, represented by his deputy, En0gr. Tele Ikuru, who is the Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) and Vice Chairman of the Main Organizing Committee (MOC), said that the capacity of the organizers will be enhanced “when there is robust synergy between the government, the private sector and other stakeholders,” calling on various stakeholders to “key in into this strategic effort to deliver to the nation the greatest sporting fiesta in her history”.

Noting that “nothing will be deemed too small or too big, whether physical cash, logistics of any kind, or any other resources,” Governor Amaechi described the sports fiesta as “indeed, the nation’s Jubilee showpiece,” saying it will engender sports as “a lucrative national economic mainstay,” assuring that participants will be “treated to a good taste of entertaining sports, excellent hospitality and engaging stay at the event”.

Speaking, Chairman of the MOC and Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Dr Patrick Ekeji, represented by the Secretary of the MOC, Alhaji Abba Yola, commended the State Government and the LOC for striving to ensure that the facilities for the games were ready, saying all the venues now have electricity, water and other amenities, disclosing that all participating State contingents have been allotted accommodation at the Games Village.

Corporate bodies which made various donations at the event included lead bankers to the festival, Equatorial Trust Bank Plc (ETB), with the highest donation of N50 million, Skye Bank Plc, N20 million, Integrated Logistics (Intels), N5 million, Rivers State House of Assembly, N3 million, Association of Local Government Chairmen in Nigeria (ALGON), N2.3 million, STEMCO and Zerock, N1 million each, Wilberforce Nigeria Limited, N.5 million and Wooden Nigeria Limited, N100,000, among others.