By our Reporter
The Local Organising committe of the National Sports Festival has announced the end of the games festival after seven days due to the failure of the Federal Government to release fund.
The games which was meant to last for 12 days will now terminate on the 7th day.
The Coordinator of Media and Publicity, National Sports Festival, Ebomhiana Musa confirmed this to the media.
According to a statement on Wednesday, he confirmed that the decision was taken after an emergency meeting of the Local Organising Committee headed by Philip Shaibu,Edo State Deputy Governor.
The LOC chairman hinted that the Edo State Government will shut down the ongoing 20th National Sports Festival by 12 noon today,Thursday 8th April,2021.
He disclosed, “The Local Organising Committee, Edo2020 regrets to announce that it will end the games abruptly tomorrow, Thursday, April 8, 2021, for lack of funds.
“Rising from an emergency meeting this evening, the LOC says it has to take this hard decision due to lack of funds having expended its reserves to kick start the games.
“Regrettably, the FG is yet to redeem its pledge to support us as the host state financially for the cost of postponements. So, we are left with no option but to end the games at noon tomorrow.”
At the festival there are about 7-8,000 athletes participating from different states of the federation.
The decision is imperative because of the Federal Government’s refusal to provide fund 24 hours to the commencement of the festival and this is one of the babe of sports development in Nigeria.