December 01, (THEWILL) – The 21st National Sports Festival, dubbed ‘Delta 2022’, has been officially declared open by President Muhammadu Buhari.
While urging all athletes competing to do so in a fair manner, abstain from using performance-enhancing drugs, and compete honestly in order to be gracious in both victory and defeat, the President said that the ceremony is yet another significant accomplishment of his administration in the domain of sports development in the nation.
At the Stephen Keshi Stadium Asaba, Delta State, the President, who was represented by Sunday Dare, the Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports Development, praised all the stakeholders and the Delta State Government in particular, for their tireless efforts in putting on a festival that the country can be proud of, and urged other States to follow their lead.
He stressed that the National Sports Festival’s creators recognised the unifying power of sports and sought to create a platform that would bring young Nigerians together in an edifying competition of wits, will, and skill. He said that since its inception in 1973, the National Sports Festival has been one of the measures that the Federal Government has introduced in the wake of the civil war to renew the fabric of our social cohesion and to promote our common destiny as a people.
Earlier, Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, in his welcoming remarks, expressed gratitude to the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Administration for choosing Delta State to host the Festival in 2022. He also expressed his gratitude to the Main and Local Organizing Committees for their months of effort, sacrifice, and planning in order to fulfil the goals of the Councils and Nigerians, and for their contributions to the success of the event.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
