The ogun state governor Prince Dapo Abiodun has expressed readiness to host the 22nd national sports festival come 2023
Governor Abiodun made this remark on Friday while playing host to a five-man delegates from the Minister of youth and Sports, Chief Sunday Dare led by Mr peter Nelson,vDirector of National Sports Festival and Paralympic Sport ,Mr Peter Nelson who were in the state for on the spot assessment of sporting facilities in the state at the presidential Lodge, Abeokuta
Governor Abiodun explained that the current administration has made it a point of duty in promoting sports as a means of youth empowerment and development which according to him will help to discourage them from all form of vices including drug abuse,cultism and others adding that it will also instil discipline on them and prepare them for future leadership
The governor while assuring the visiting team of the state preparedness, governor explained that government in the last three and half years have invested heavily on infrastructural development to enhancing the socio-economic status of the state stressing that hosting the event would serve as another opportunity to create employment and improve on business activities of the people of the state
Mr governor assured the delegates that government would ensure that all the issues identified at the various stadia visited would be given a first class treatment as the state known for standard is ready to outshine any other states that may also wish to contest for the hosting rights
Thanking the minister of youth and sport, chief Sunday dare for his support, the first citizen of the state promised that government would continue to implement programs that will impact positively on the lives of the residents in accordance with the ISEYA pillar of the current administration
The commissioner for youth and sport, Dr kehinde oluwadare in a remark thanked the governor for being passionate about youth development through sporting activities stressing that the youths in the state would continue to appreciate his efforts
Earlier, the leader of the team, mr Peter Nelson said the team were in the state to assess the level of sporting facilities across state in order to ascertain if the state met the hosting rights
Speaking on the festival held by the state in 2006, mr Nelson commended the state government for the arrangement put in place that time saying ogun state was the first state to allow elite athletes to participate at the festival stating that the state has a brighter chance having held the festival in the past
He urged the governor to address the problem of pavilion, lighting and other things observed in some of the sporting event centres visited within Abeokuta metropolis expressing hopeful that the state has all it takes to host the annual sporting event
The team later moved to sagamu and ijebu-ode to visit all the sporting facilities within the axis
