Femi Atolagbe

The 23rd edition of the National Sports Festival tagged Coal City Games Enugu 2026, will be better than the 22nd edition tagged, Gateway Games Ogun 2024.

The Commissioner for Sports Development, Enugu State, Mr. Lloyd Ike Ekweremadu, has disclosed.

 He stated this while briefing journalists covering the Gateway Games in Abeokuta.

Ike-Ekweremadu, who is a lawyer, said that the Gateway Games in Abeokuta had raised the bar and the next host, which is Enugu, would take it a level higher than what had been done by Ogun in a bid to make it the best ever games in the annals of the biennial sports festival.

The Enugu State Sports Commissioner added that the Governor Peter Mbah administration is committed to organising a world class event that would be the reference point in years to come, stressing that Enugu was ready to welcome the rest of Nigeria next year.

He asserted that the host state already had its facilities in place but would do a face-lift where needed while assuring athletes, officials, journalists and fans of memorable time during the games.

Ike-Ekweremadu also revealed that the state government had already put in place various activities and sites that would not only showcase the rich culture of the Enugu people, but also the place of Enugu State in thee tourism industry in Nigeria.

The Commissioner said Enugu is blessed with several historical sites that had continued to attract tourists to the state from within and outside the country.

The sport administrator averred that Enugu State had also taken the security of lives and property a notch higher, revealing that the whole state was fully covered as it remained the only state on the African continent with the highest number of security cameras.

He assured that the state is secure, saying the people of the state were peace loving and hospitable.

The commissioner also assured journalists that would cover the games that the state government would make their stay an enjoyable and memorable one while urging the newsmen to join the Enugu State Government to showcase the state to the rest of the world.

The President, Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, SWAN, Mr. Isaiah Benjamin while welcoming the Enugu State Sports Commissioner to the press briefing, urged him to ensure that the body was carried along before, during and after the games in a bid to make light the burden of journalists that would cover the Coal City games.