Deputy Governor of Edo State and Chairman, local organizing committee of the National Sports Festival, Phillip Shuaibu has reopened the office of Main Organizing Committee shut down, to discontinue the Edo 2020 Games in Benin-City
Shuaibu had ordered the closure of the office, saying the 2020 National Sports Festival will be shut down by Noon Tomorrow (Friday) if there is no commitment from the Federal Government on release of funds.
The Deputy Governor announced the closure while addressing newsmen at the Media Center of the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City.
Shuaibu who complained of the inability of the Edo State Government to continue to meet its financial obligations to vendors including caterers, however reopened the office after much pressure from the stakeholders at the games
Meanwhile the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development has clarified that the 20th National Sports Festival, Edo 2020, would continue as planned with competitions going on as scheduled.
The Ministry and the Main Organizing Committee (MOC) for the festival claimed not to be aware 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.
The ministry in a statement by its Assistant Director Press,Ramon Balogun, says "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 (MOC) for the festival. The Ministry has no such communication".
"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 ministry reassured .
The ministry stressed its committment to work with the Edo State Government, to deliver a successful National Sports Festival.
No comments:
Post a Comment