Federal Government has maintained that activities at the ongoing National Sports Festival in Edo State will continue as planned.
The FG’s stance is in reaction to a threat by Local Organising Committee that the festival will end abruptly at 12noon on Thursday (today) over lack of funds.
Coordinator of Media and Publicity, National Sports Festival, Ebomhiana Musa, made this known in a statement on Wednesday.
Read Also: Edo Threatens To End National Sports Festival On Thursday Due To Lack Of Funds
In the statement, he confirmed that the decision was taken after an emergency meeting of Local Organising Committee (LOC) headed by Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu.
He insisted that the LOC was yet to get a dime from the funds promised it by the Federal Government to host the festival.
Reacting to this in a statement, Ramon Balogun, Assistant Director Press, Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, on Thursday morning, said;
The ministry has clarified that the 20th National Sports Festival, Edo 2020, is going on as planned with competitions going on as scheduled.
The Ministry and the Main Organizing Committee for the festival are unaware of any plans or threat by the Edo State Government to shut down the sports festival as there has been no official meeting or communication that relayed such information.
He stressed;
The Honorable Minister, Permanent Secretary and Directors are on ground in Benin City where the Festival is holding, and it is expected that the Edo State Government would formally invite the Ministry for a meeting should any urgency exist around the National Sports Festival or communicate officially with the Main Organizing Committee for the festival. The Ministry has no such communication.
Balogun stressed;
For the records, the Edo State government due to the cost implications of postponements occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic requested financial assistance from the Federal government through the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development.
The Ministry has since been at work to secure the financial assistance which it believes is being processed. The MYSD and EDSG are determined to deliver a successful National Sports Festival.
