Director-General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Honourable Bukola Olopade has declared that Nigeria’s next festival of games was not postponed but ‘strategically pushed forward.’
Sports247.ng reports that Olopade expressed displeasure with critics who queried the change in date as announced on Thursday, but pointed out that the local organising committee was ready to go ahead with their January schedule.
Tagged Gateway Games 2024, the 22nd National Sports Festival, was originally set to hold in November but later moved to January, yet a new date of May 16-30 was announced by the NSC, much to the dismay of many Nigerians.
The announcement is still drawing critical comments from media personalities and sports followers, who feel that the festival’s developmental motives have been rubbished.
However, Olopade declared at a press conference after the joint-technical meeting in Abeokuta that a new date was fixed in order to accommodate the country’s new sports administration structure.
Olopade, who is also chairman of the festival’s main organising committee (MOC), said, “What the communique did not capture was that Ogun State and the LOC were invariably against any postponement.
“But, in the wisdom of the technical people and the MOC, we all felt there were so many elements that needed to come together for us to give Nigerians (something) in the spirit of the new definition of sports organisation.
“(The aim is to contribute in) creating an eco-system of economic sustainability (that is desired) by Mr. President.
“There was a need to push it forward to capture all of those elements together. It’s also to get the commission to settle down properly.
“All of these were done in agreement with and the approval of Mallam Shehu Dikko, the chairman of the sports commission.”
The sports guru and events promoter then expressed satisfaction with the new date for the festival, but stressed that Ogun State government did not ask for any postponement.
Olopade affirmed, “We are excited that we have a new date.
“We are excited that it gives us five months to properly put everything together and show the whole country what capacity is all about.
“It is not a postponement, but strategically done to settle in the new commission (and) to regalvanise the idea of creating a sports economy that is sustainable.
“The LOC proved to us that the January date that they picked was achievable, but when the experts speak, we must listen.”
He concluded by stressing that the basic idea behind the change in date for the festival was due to President Tinubu’s recent scrapping of the sports ministry and return of the NSC.
“Once the technical directors say for wisdom, for cohesion and proper realignment of the sports commission, as it’s departing from the ministry.
“(We must accept) that there is a need to push forward (the festival’s date) by a few months. I, as the director-general, will not kick against that,” Olopade stressed.
He also pointed out that, as a citizen of Ogun State, he is personally concerned about the sports festival becoming a resounding success in the capital, Abeokuta.
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