Cross River state Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke, has revealed the state’s preparedness to host the annual Mobil track and field championship for the next five years.

Cross River State Governor

Speaking at a state dinner at Government Lodge, Calabar in honour of the organizers of the just concluded NNPC/Mobil Track and Field Championship in Calabar, Imoke disclosed that the sate, with the support of the National Sports Commission and Athletic Federation of Nigeria (AFN), is ready to meet the commitment and will start work to meet the demands of the next edition, advising that the nation should take the development of sports out of the realm of politics.

He also revealed that the state intends to develop Obudu Mountain to be a high altitude training centre to complement facilities at the Obudu Mountain Resort and that it is prepared to work with the Federal Government and corporate bodies to make it work, stressing that a new dawn for the development of athletics in Nigeria has arrived while appreciating sponsors and organizers of the championship despite the challenges.

The Governor thus called for a strong collaboration between the public and private sectors to develop sports in Nigeria for it to attain its place as giant of Africa.

Meanwhile, Chief Solomon Ogba, President of the AFN, has described the Calabar championship as the best, despite the rains, since 1999 and commended the state’s decision to sponsor the championship as well as buy best equipment for the training of its athletes.

Ogba said the championship was an avenue to discover local champions and bring them to lime light  and lauded the state’s interest in hosting the next editions and that the choice of Calabar had exposed both athletes and officials to the cleanliness of the city while the dinner was the first to be hosted by a state government.