By Ime Bassey
As the 17th National Sports Festival continues in the Garden City of Port Harcourt, Rivers States, Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has stated that Team Edo will finish tops at the end of  proceedings.

Speaking to a across section of journalists at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium venue of the first leg encounter of the All Africa Games men’s football tournament qualifier between Nigerian and their Ghanaian counterparts which ended 3-1 in favour of the Dream V last weekend, the Governor said, though the state does not have the resources to go for preparations outside the country, Team Edo will make the difference with its level of will-power.

“Last time Edo came second on the medals table but this time we will come first. We conceded the first position to Delta in the last festival but this time around they will give-in to us,” Oshiomhole said.

On Team Edo preparations for the festival with respect to that of neighbors Delta who went to South Africa for final preparations, the action Governor said, “We do not need to go to Sokoto state for what we have in our sokoto. They can go to South Africa or Australia, we are here.

The festival is not going to be on foreign soil as we all know. We do not have the kind of resources they have but we have a level of will-power which they do not have and that will make the difference for us at the games,” the Governor added.

Rivers ready to host and win

Team Rivers after two days of competition kick started their medal haul with four gold medals in the Kung_Fu event. Apart from the four gold medals, they also won three silver medals and two bronze medals.

The gold medalists include IjeiomaIkeije, Adu Bankole, Eweje Adeleye and AdemolaAfolabi while the silver medals came courtesy of Eleagu Michael and Joy Mark while Amaka Onwuka and Tamara Ebitonmo brought in the bronze medals.

The Rivers State team have maintained that this Games would at the end of the day see them emerge winners and that there is no going back on that promise.

Toblow confident Abia athletes will excel

Abia State athletics coach, Tobias Igwe, alias Toblow has said he is confident his wards will do well in the track and field events of  the on-going National Sports Festival in the Garden City of Portharcourt.

The Festival features athletes from different states of the country who will be exhibiting their potential to win medals for their states.

According to Igwe, “We are involved in track and field which involves  running, throwing and jumping and we hope to do better in the Games. We are also representing Abia state and every needed thing to make our outing successful has been provided by the State governor and as it is now, things are  going on smoothly. Our director is always here to motivate the athletes,” he said.

Continuing he said: “We do not have any problem whatsoever, the team is doing well and the governor on his part has done his best monetarily to ensure that things are well positioned for the athletes. And we have promised to do our best to  make Abia state happy and proud again.