Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has promised that the state government will maintain the world-class facilities used in hosting the 20th National Sports Festival (NSF), tagged Edo 2020, after the event.
Governor Obaseki had declared: “There are tremendous changes in Edo today as regards how we maintain the structures and institutions. It has to do with the people, with capacity building and making sure you have the right processes and procedures.
“Through the new hiring and recruitment ongoing in the Edo State Public and Civil Service, we are going to put in place not only the right people but also the right systems and institutions to sustain what we are doing.
“I am assuring Edo people that the facilities will be kept well. It is owned by Edo people and therefore we must have systems in place to ensure that they are maintained.
“It will not only be the responsibility of the governor alone but the entire Edo people to ensure these facilities are maintained. We will put in place the systems to ensure it is maintained.”
The governor was said to have teed-off the Edo 2020 golf tournament in Benin City, in the company of Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu; Secretary to the State Government, Osarodion Ogie Esq. and representative of the President of the Nigerian Golf Federation, Thaddeus Wilmen, including other golfers. The governor emphasized that hosting the sports festival in the state is aimed to foster national unity and not necessarily to be won by the host.
Obaseki in a media interaction was cited to have declared: “The purpose of the National Sports Festival is to bring men and women together in the spirit of oneness and unity so that they can have a common purpose. Our country needs healing, unity, and a sense of purpose and that is why we are hosting the sports festival.
“It is not necessary that we host and win. For us, we know we have all it takes but as sports men and women, we will let excellence prevail.”