Sports

NSC Announces Enugu State as Host of 23rd National Sports Festival

Published

2 months ago

November 22, 2024

Ogun State set to deliver sporting spectacle at Gateway Games 2024

The National Sports Commission, after its top management meeting, has announced Enugu State as the host of the 23rd edition of the National Sports Festival.

The Coal City State emerged top from a competitive bidding process and the state is set to deliver a world-class event.

The National Sports Festival, a biennial multi-sports event, brings together thousands of athletes from Nigeria’s 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory to celebrate sportsmanship, national unity and sporting excellence.

Before Enugu State takes center stage, the 22nd edition of the festival is set to hold in January 2025 in Ogun State, with the Gateway State buzzing with pomp and pageantry, as the Games draw closer.

Honourable Bukola Olopade, the former chairman of the Local Organizing Committee and current NSC Director General, revealed that the Gateway Games will host over 15,000 athletes. He reaffirmed the NSC’s commitment to supporting Ogun State in delivering a premium tournament.

With Enugu’s selection for the 23rd edition, the festival promises to uphold its legacy of excellence, inclusivity, and showcasing the best of Nigerian sports talent, while unearthing talents good enough to fly the flag of the nation internationally.

This marks the first time the South-Eastern State will be staging the event since its inception in 1973.

The 21st edition of the Games was hosted by Asaba, Delta State, with over 11,000 athletes participating in the grand tournament.

With Ogun State billed to host the next edition of the games in January next year, it also marks the first time the host of the subsequent Games is known before the end of the current Festival.

This development will give Enugu state enough time to prepare adequately for the games and will also enhances the Corporate image of the Festival

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Sports

Mahanaim FC too good for Green Lock in first match of the year

Published

2 days ago

February 2, 2025

The Gleamer

Mahanaim FC kicked-off year 2025 with a victory over Greenlock FC on Saturday, at the Bwari Township Stadium. Goals from Aliyu Imran and Nambou Roman were enough to secure victory for the boys in our first match of the year.

Both teams hadn’t met since 2023 when we cruised to a 2-nil win over them. That result set the tone for our match on Saturday, with our opponents hoping to get one over us this time.

Our Coaches, Saheed Jimoh and Jackson Mbuk had set up a line up which had a blend of young players and the experienced ones, including Haruna Abdullahi, who also got a goal the last time we played GreenLock.

After the opening exchange in first few minutes, Haruna bursted through the middle into the opponents 18-yards, Dribbling his way past three players before setting up Aliyu Imran who finished the move with a goal from close range. The game became very close from that point onwards with only the goal separating the teams.

After the break, the match became more open as we pushed forward searching for the second goal. GreenLock FC came close a couple of times before finding an equaliser through a low free- kick from Samuel Daniel, that went past our Goal-Keeper, David Adolphus.

Barely two minutes after the equaliser, Haruna Abdullahi once again conjured a magical pass that found Nambou Roman who had replaced Aliyu Imran in the attack. Roman’s well timed run was complemented by Haruna’s defence spliting pass. Roman lobbed the ball over the on-rushing goalkeeper into the net, to restore our lead.

GreenLock FC fought fiercely to find an equaliser but our defence line which had Nura Yahaya, Jesse Mokele, Salisu Hamisu and Marcus Haruna stood firm with the help of the midfielders, Daniel Egwuatu and Ikoh Danjuma, as we gained another victory over GreenLock FC in our first match of 2025.

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