Barr. Lloyd Ekweremadu has attributed the choice of Enugu State as the designated host for the 23rd edition of the National Sports Festival to the leadership qualities of Governor Peter Mbah.
The Enugu State Commissioner for Youth and Sports in company of the Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Hon. Chris Ozongwu, said as much shortly after the State Executive Council meeting which was presided over by the governor.
The National Sports Commission (NSC) on Friday announced Enugu State as the host of the 23rd edition of the National Sports Festival , saying : “ The Coal City State emerged top from a competitive bidding process and the state is set to deliver a world-class event.”
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Speaking on the development, Barrister Ekweremadu attributed the emergence of Enugu state as the hosting state to Governor Mbah’s leadership strides and huge investment in the sports’ industry, adding that plans were on ground to upgrade and develop sports infrastructure in the state.
“The development strides that Enugu State is recording under the leadership of Governor Peter Mbah are a determining factor in winning the hosting rights. Council noted that in order to deliver a world-class sports festival, government must invest in upgrading and developing our sports infrastructure, particularly the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, and the Awgu Games Village,” he further stressed.
The sports festival is expected to attract over 15000 athletes that will be participating in the events to Enugu where talents will be showcased and new ones discovered.
Meanwhile, Hon Ozongwu said the draft of the 2025 Appropriation Bill was presented to the Executive Council where it was approved for presentation after rigorous evaluation and interrogation.
“Both the medium term expenditure framework (MTEF) and the budget proposal were unanimously approved by the council after much deliberation, evaluation and interrogation.
“This, therefore, sets the stage for His Excellency to submit the Appropriation Bill to the House of Assembly early next week. As is usual, this bill is subject to House approval,” the commissioner added.
