Cross River Set to Host National Council On Sports Ahead Of 19th National Sports Festival
FeaturedSports January 24, 2016 Dianabasi Effiong
Asu Okang
From: Diana Okon-Effiong, Calabar
The Commissioner for Youth & Sports Development, Mr Asu Okang has restated the State’s preparedness to host the propo National Council of Sports slated for Calabar from Feb. 11 to Feb.15, 2016.
Speaking in Calabar, Okang said, the event would afford the Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung who is expected to be Chairman of the occasion, the opportunity to inspect facilities earmarked for the National Sports Festival and assess the State’s level of readiness.
The Commissioner told a management meeting in Calabar the council of Sports meeting was crucial as it will be the platform from which a consensus shall be reached on a date for the forth-coming festival having been postponed twice.
He said the reconfirmation of the hosting right on Cross River places a great responsibility on the contractors to complete all projects before the event.
According to him an appreciative level of work has been done on the projects already and expressed anticipation that all facilities will be ready before the commencement of the 19th National Sports Festival.
Okang said the State had committed so much resources for the event and was ready to deliver the best National Sports Festival ever in the history of the event.
It will be recalled that the festival slated for Nov. 23, 2014 in Calabar but shifted to April 9, 2015, could not hold because the host failed to provide funding and make facilities ready.
Gov. Ben Ayade of Cross River had said that he could not neither fund nor host the festival due the huge salary arrears inherited from the immediate past administration in the state.
But Okang recently assured the Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, of the state’s readiness to host the festival
The 18th National Sports Festival, tagged “Eko Games’’, was hosted by Lagos State in Nov. 2012
In a related development Okang directed the renovation of the 3rd and 4th floors of the office block and the conference room to give them a befitting look.
The Commissioner who undertook an unscheduled inspection of facilities in his office said the State must be seen to be ready in all aspects to deliver the best and most memorable festival ever.
Accompanied during the inspection by the Special Adviser on sports, Effiom Effiwatt, the Commissioner said, Government is poised to give sports its rightful place in the scheme of things.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner has set up a three-man committee to appraise staff performance and select qualified officers for the diligent workers award, instituted few weeks ago.
He said the Committee is expected to meet twice a month and must be honest and transparent in their transaction to ensure that only those that meet the criteria are selected to benefit from the award.
Dianabasi Effiong
