Gateway Games: Ogun races against time

With 43 days to the commencement of the 22nd edition of the National Sports Festival to be staged in Abeokuta, the Ogun State Government is currently racing against time to upgrade and complete the construction of the needed facilities. Last week, President Bola Tinubu flagged off the Torch of Unity Movement for the event, also […]

With 43 days to the commencement of the 22nd edition of the National Sports Festival to be staged in Abeokuta, the Ogun State Government is currently racing against time to upgrade and complete the construction of the needed facilities.

Last week, President Bola Tinubu flagged off the Torch of Unity Movement for the event, also known as Gateway Games, and reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to supporting and providing an enabling environment for sports development.

The Nigerian version of the Olympics Games will be held for the second time in Ogun State from May 16 to 30. It would be recalled that the state hosted the 15th edition in 2006, with Delta State emerging as champions.

The Unity Torch will herald the festival by travelling through all the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

• Arteta worried about mounting injuries for final run-in
• Thumbs up to Invited Junior Athletes (IJA) initiative

The 22nd edition of the games was postponed twice due to the slow pace of the ongoing upgrade of facilities by the state government. It was earlier fixed for November to December 2024, but was shifted to January 2025.

At the end of the First Joint Technical Meeting held in Abeokuta in December 2024, the festival was rescheduled for May 16 to 30, 2025.

Weekend Trust Sports reports that members of the Main Organising Committee and the Local Organising Committee had inspected the ongoing construction and upgrade of facilities for the festival.

“The joint technical meeting agreed that in order to give some time to effect its observations and recommendations, the date for the 22nd NSF should be adjusted to May 16 to 30, 2025; and the zonal eliminations for team sports for the games should hold from February 23 to 28, 2025,” the communique indicated.

Interestingly, all the six zones have since concluded the zonal eliminations for team events and are waiting eagerly for the commencement of the games.

 

It was also agreed that the report that emanated from the First Joint Technical Meeting on the inspected venues and facilities be used as a checklist to guide the state.

The meeting agreed on the need for a Second Joint Technical Meeting/Inspection visit to ensure that all identified issues had been addressed ahead of the games.

Although the reason for the last postponement was not clearly stated, Weekend Trust Sports had reported that the shift was unavoidable because the facilities to be used for the festival, especially the ones undergoing renovation and those being built from scratch, were not ready for use.

Our correspondent who visited the facilities during the time of the inspection noted that facilities like the swimming pools, lawn tennis courts and handball courts at the MKO Abiola Stadium, Abeokuta, were under construction from the scratch, while the main bowl of the stadium was being upgraded.

At the main bowl, it was observed that most of the upgrades included extension of VIP seats at the MKO Abiola Stadium, replacement of the track, replacement of the football pitch, new scoreboard, replacement of all the floodlights and perimeter fencing.

At the Alake Sports Centre, Ijeja Abeokuta, some of the renovations include indoor sport arenas (boxing, squash, table tennis), renovation of basketball and badminton courts and construction of new toilets.

Some members of the delegation of the Joint Technical Meeting had expressed worry over the slow pace and quality of job done on the swimming pool. They expressed concern over the depth and lighting equipment fixed into the wall since it is a pool for sporting purposes.

 

3 months after, some facilities not completely ready

  Sports can report that three months after the last inspection and second postponement of the festival, the facilities are not fully ready for use, even as the festival is expected to commence about 43 days from now.

Following our correspondent’s latest visit, it was discovered that most of the facilities, both the new ones being constructed and those being upgraded were yet to be completed and handed over to the sports authorities in the state.

At the MKO Abiola Stadium, which is to serve as the main venue for the games, our correspondent observed that some of the facilities were between 70 to 80 per cent completed, raising the fear of a possible postponement of the festival.

It was also observed by that the concrete floor of the pitch inside the main bowl of the stadium had been completed, while the laying of the artificial turf was in progress.

Extension of VIP seats and painting were equally at an advanced stage, while the floodlight, tartan track, scoreboard and perimeter fencing were ready.

The swimming pool was 60 per cent completed, but the warm-up pool is ready. During the visit, our correspondent saw workers on the sites working hard to complete the remaining work on the swimming pool.

Meanwhile, privately owned facilities like the Remo Stars Sports Complex, Ikenne and Abeokuta Sports Club are available for use. However, it is still doubtful if some of the facilities under construction would be fully ready before the end of this month.

The chairman of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Ogun State chapter, Michael Azeez Ogunsiji, expressed hope that the facilities would be ready for use.

He said, “Looking at the speed at which the contractors are handling the projects, we hope and pray that there won’t be another one month extension. This is because by now, the construction of facilities should have been completed. What we should be doing now is test-running of the facilities.

“There should be sporting activities to test their durability and effectiveness. With this development, we are taking a risk because the facilities might disappoint when we go into the festival proper. However, we don’t pray for such.”

Speaking on the MKO Abiola Stadium, the veteran sports reporter and publisher of the Encounter newspaper, also said it was not wise to have a world-class football pitch submitted without

supporting it with at least two additional training fields to reduce the pressure on the main pitch.

Ogunsiji, however, applauded the Ogun State Government for “agreeing to host the festival at this excruciating period of our economy and providing a sports hub for the state.”

He added that, “The festival will avail the state of the opportunity of upgrading its sporting facilities that were begging for attention in the last 10 years or more. The festival will also boost the economy of the state, especially the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).”

 

No more postponement, facilities will be ready – Commissioner

Speaking to Weekend Trust Sports, the Commissioner for Sports in the state, Wasiu Isiaka, ruled out any postponement, saying the facilities were 90 per cent complete and they would be ready for use.

“In terms of facilities, for now, we have done like 90 per cent. For Ijeja, we are almost 90 per cent ready. We are just putting in finishing touches.

“At the MKO Abiola Stadium, the public address system is working now, the scoreboard is ready, the tartan track is ready, and the football pitch is almost ready. The extension of the VIP area is ongoing as well as the floodlight.

“We have also made appreciable progress on the new facilities we are just bringing on board. The lining of tennis and handball courts will be done in the next couple of days.

“For the swimming pool, the warm-up pool is 90 per cent ready, while that of the competition is almost ready as well. To the glory of God, we are moving on very fine,” he said.

Asked if he was worried over another postponement, Isiaka responded: “Nothing is changing the date again. The Torch of Unity is moving around the country now.”

But despite the words of assurance from the commissioner, there is still some apprehension in the air because the remaining work on the facilities is not moving at the same pace with the Torch of Unity, which is approaching the end of its journey.