“Taraba hosting NUJ Games to foster friendship”

Many see this as another sporting jamboree but for Taraba state this definitely is more than just a sport festival for journalists. You are right. This is a big event for Taraba State and we are very excited about all the prospects from the games- the competitions, the friendship, the healthy rivalry among participants. It […]

Many see this as another sporting jamboree but for Taraba state this definitely is more than just a sport festival for journalists.

You are right. This is a big event for Taraba State and we are very excited about all the prospects from the games- the competitions, the friendship, the healthy rivalry among participants. It is not just about the trophies to be won or lost. It is about the union and beauty of healthy competition among compatriots. For one we are very happy to welcome the nation to our state. We have always done this. Last September we hosted the nation to a wonderful World Tourism Day at the Mambilla Plateau in Gembu. After a few months, we are again bringing the nation to yet another event. This is the first time we are hosting the games. So it is chance to display certain things. We always like to showcase our hospitality. We are also using this event to display our cultural attributes and our tourism potentials. But most importantly, the games will help us play our part in enhancing the existing friendship among journalists. Journalists work real hard every day to deepen democracy in this country. My governor said he thinks journalists should be able to relax from time to time to recharge their batteries for better creativity and output. That is why he wants them to come to Jalingo and cool off. All works without play…you know what they say about that.

Why did the NUJ choose Taraba for this event?

With all sense of modesty I think we deserve to host this event. We have a very peaceful state and a very welcoming people. And we have the capacity in terms of accommodation, transport, and facilities to receive all and sundry. Besides we have a governor who is sport loving and encourages sport as a vehicle for cohesion. But beyond that, the NUJ actually came to us and asked if we can host the event. That was during the visit of the NUJ president, Mallam Mohammed Garba. During the courtesy call on Governor Danbaba Danfulani Suntai in Jalingo, he requested the governor to kindly host the event. The governor promptly obliged. According to Suntai, sporting events is one of the tools he wants to use to develop the state. Suntai also said that he enjoys a partnership with journalists for the progress of the state and that he would love to have us around.

Thereafter he released the sum of twenty million naira which the NUJ has collected and is using to host this event.

So how prepared is Jalingo for this event?

Not just Jalingo but the entire state. We are working with all the groups for a successful occasion. We are working with security, welfare, the youth groups and all the relevant sections to ensure a hitch-free event. We have the accommodation and transport all planned out. Then we have arranged to take participants to the famed Mambilla Plateau for excursions. You see for us, this is an opportunity to take our friends around tourist sites in the state if possible. So this is where sport meets tourism. Then Taraba is a state of many cultures and traditions. For the participants we hope to put on display our rich culture in terms of songs, dances, cuisines, costumes etc. At the end, we want participants to relish Taraba and hopefully take away a good feeling.