Gov Ayade of CRS
Eugene Upah|17 October 2016
When Cross River State bided to host the 19th National Sports Festival in 2012, the idea was to promote the image of the state in sports and culture. In sports, it was the first time the state would be hosting such a flamboyant competition bringing sportsmen and women from across the shores of the nation. In culture, it was not just a coincidence that the 19th National Sports Festival fell in line with Nigeria’s 100 years of amalgamation (1914 – 2014). This was the reason why the event was tagged “Calabar Centenary Games 2014”, differently from the initial caption “Paradise City Games”, marking a millennium since amalgamation.
The then sports loving Governor of Cross River State, Liyel Imoke, enforced the states’ sports stakeholders to make it a must that Cross River got the right to host Nigeria’s biggest sport event, the National Sports Festival in Calabar. The festival comprises of over 45 different sports with each state staging a contingent to showcase talents and contest for medal(s).
Apart from being a unifying factor, the festival is used as a scouting ground to search for sportsmen and women who would eventually represent the country in other international competitions such as the Olympics Games, Commonwealth Youth Games etc. Cross River has consistently shifted the responsibility of hosting the event since 2014 due to reasons ranging from financial incapability, delay by contractors handling site works, and inadequate preparations. As I write, the competition is at the verge of been taken to Abuja, where is it believed all the apparatus needed to undertake the event have been made available in their right proportions.
One may ask, what are the implications of the state failing to host such a competition? The answers are numerous. First, the Federal Ministry of Youths and Sports and other sports stakeholders will always decline in granting requests made by such a state to host future competitions, and will always see such a state as not capable of hosting a competition of such magnitude. Recall that only last month, the state missed the National Youth Games. Early in 2015, the annual Obudu Mountain Race which attracts people from different nationalities was suspended till further notice.
The state’s sports profile has drastically gone down since the assumption of Governor Ben Ayade. Cross River has contributed a huge quota to the nation’s sports both nationally and internationally. The need to host the 19th Sports Festival in Calabar, the first capital of Nigeria is very vital. I am therefore calling on Governor Ben Ayade to put the necessary apparatus in place for Cross River to host this competition. The Leadership of the Cross River State Ministry of Youths and Sports Development and the Cross River State Sports Commission are very capable and I trust they can host Nigeria’s biggest competition.
We are all aware that the state is going through one of its most difficult financial times, but it is better to reduce the number of participating sports and host the competition to revive the image of sports in the state again rather than allow it to be taken to a different venue after four years of struggling to host the same competition.
Eugene Upah
Writes from Calabar
simplyeugenik@gmail.com