Leader of the Akwa Ibom state delegation to the 19th edition of the National sports festival in Abuja Paul Bassey has told Sports247.ng in an exclusive chat that not too many states have the power and resourcefulness to host the National sports festival in other to avoid the repeat of not having the national fiesta for another six years.
The veteran sport journalist and seasoned sports administrator made this known in Abuja where Akwa Ibom state athletes are slugging it out with athletes from other states of the federation for honors.
Bassey made this comment in relation to how the festival failed to hold since the last edition in Lagos in 2012 after the hosting rights was given to Cross River state to host the 2014 edition to mark Nigeria’s centenary anniversary which the state had failed to host in six years due to lack of funds.
Bassey furthermore has urged the federal government to help states who are willing to host the event financially so they can improve on the readily available facilities or build new ones as the NSF remains a veritable tool in using sports to foster unity in the country.
He also stated that Akwa Ibom state is aiming for the top three position in this year’s festival having finished 7th in the 2012 edition. “Our aim is to finish in the top three in this edition of the festival. I know other states like Delta, Rivers and Lagos also came very prepared but this is what we want and I hope at the end of the day we can achieve it.
