My Lloyd Ekweremadu, Commissioner for Youth and Sports , Enugu State
From Maurice Okafor, Enugu
The Enugu State Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Mr Lloyd Ekweremadu, at the weekend disclosed that the state government is intensifying efforts to ensure all the facilities needed for successful hosting of the 2026 National Sports Festival in Enugu state are satisfactorily available.
Speaking to newsmen in Enugu, Ekweremadu Jnr hinted that the state will build a new Games village in Awgu and additional facilities at Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium,UNEC stadium, both in Enugu.
He stated, “Awgu Games village is going to play a very critical role in the national sports festival hosting, it has a very detailed design that is going to see brand new, I mean if you have been there recently, you will know that there is actually absolutely nothing there.
“So it’s not a case of refurbishment, it’s a brand new games village that is going to be built from accommodation for athletes and officials to a mini-stadium, to indoor sports facility, gymnastics facilities, and other sporting spaces within the indoor, building for boxing and a few other sports.
“We are trying to see if we can also incorporate athletics track there within the very stringent budget that we are working with so that we can also develop that sport in the end.”
According to him,the Games Village will provide accommodation for athletes and officials, in addition to other sporting facilities like a mini-stadium, standard tracks, indoor sports facilities and gymnasium among other things.
The Enugu State Youth and Sports Commissioner explained that in addition to the Awgu Games Village, many of the sporting events would take place at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium Enugu and the temporary stadium at the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus (UNEC).
He disclosedd that Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, which will host most of the events is currently being upgraded, noting that the scope of the project encompasses the entire main bowl of the stadium
“That will provide more comfortable environment for more spectators to come and participate. The pitch is going to be changed because we realized that it is not exactly the FIFA standard, so now we are going to have a proper certified FIFA pitch at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium once fully done.
“If you have been there recently you would see that the athletic track around the pitch is not in good condition, we certainly cannot host any proper competition with that track, which is why that track is going to be completely redone with IAF certified track that is going to be the full PU as it is called, which is the highest standard of track you can get. As you know for Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, nothing short of the best as far as quality is concerned.
“Then you talked about an Olympic swimming facility. Within that Nnamdi Azikiwe stadium complex is going to be a brand new Olympic standard swimming pool with spectator stand on the side and a diving pool as well. Then you talk about indoor facility there, it’s going to be completely redone in terms of the wooding, flooring that is there, it’s going to be replaced for multi-purpose sports activities to go in there, lighting and a few other things.
“Generally, the structure is good so it’s just critical elements of it like the floor that will be changed and the ventilation,”.
Ekweremadu stated that the state has facilities for other sports that are included in the national sports festival, stating that hockey for example will take place at UNEC because the AstroTurf there is conducive for hockey.
“Other board games and the rest, things like Chess, Scrabble, will take place at the International Conference Centre, a nice air-conditioned hall for those sort of games to take place.
“The list goes on and on, we are even working, this is not yet in the main plan, but on the side we are working to see that some water sports like rowing and canoeing are included in ours, as the hosting state you have the right to nominate about five optional sports. so we are working to add those water sports and the aim is for them to take place at the Ugbo Dam,in Awgu local government area of the state, when it is completed. We have assurances that it will be completed ahead of the sports festival.
“So I say all these things to give you the assurance that Enugu state have the requisite facilities to host the sports festival come 2026 in terms of timeline, from whenever work commences there is a twelve-month timeline for delivery on all these facilities, and the aim really, is for everything to be delivered latest July of next year for us to be able to test-run everything and host in the fourth quarter of next year the national sports festival,” he said.
