20th NSF: Gov. Obaseki to receive torch of unity April 3 as State reconstitutes LOC’s sub-committees

Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo will on April 3 receive the torch of unity of the 20th National Sports Festival (NSF) tagged “Edo 2020”, an official said on Monday.

Philip Shaibu, Chairman of the festival’s Local Organising Committee (LOC), in a statement said the torch of unity would arrive in Benin same day.

“Thereafter, the torch will then be taken on a tour of the 18 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state.

”It will return to Benin, where the governor is expected to light the festival torch on April 6,” Shaibu, who is also the state’s Deputy Governor, said.

A total of 8,000 athletes from the FCT and the 36 states of the federation are expected to participate in the festival.

The festival had suffered a number of postponements, owing to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it will now take place from April 2 to April 14.

Meanwhile he Sae Government has reconstituted the 13 sub-committees of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) it set up ahead of the 20th NSF.

Musa Ebomhiana, who now heads the Media and Communication Sub-Committee as Project Manager, confirmed the reconstitution of the committees on Monday in Benin.

He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) the sub-committees were reconstituted following Federal Government’s approval of new dates of April 2 to April 14 .

Ebomhiana however disclosed that membership of the sub-committees was significantly reduced.

“It is part of measures to cut the cost of running the festival, in view of the problem of paucity of fund.

“Though the 13 sub-committees still remain, the number of members in each of them has substantially reduced as part of cost-saving measures.

“This is actually meant to cut the cost of running the festival. But the sub-committees remain, we only reduced the number of people managing them, in terms of manpower,” he said.

Ebomhiana pointed out that, in some cases, membership of some of the sub-committees has been reduced to either two, three or five members.

“It all depends on the scope of what they have to contend with. However, that is not to say that we can’t bring in more people if the need arises. Also the nomenclature of those manning these committees has been changed to Project Managers,” he stated.

Ebomhiana disclosed also that the remodelled Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium remains the main venue for all sports activities, with 15 other centres also to host other sports.

“The University of Benin (UNIBEN) remains the main camp for athletes.

“That is why students of UNIBEN are going on holiday from April 1 and we had to cash in on this break for the festival,” he added. (NAN)