A FESTIVAL IN JEOPARDY

By Enefiok Udo-Obong

The National Sports Festival has come and gone…finally. The uncertainty of the games was itself a story loaded with ridicule and an open display of our perennial lack of planning and organization. The festival itself delivered on its promise of stories…from the absurd to the incredible. While we marveled at the performance of some athletes on the field of play, we were also treated to some brazen show of shame and win-at-all-cost by some states which ranged from violence at event centres, to attempts to influence technical officials, to intimidation and incredibly, to stories of foreign import of international ‘mercenaries’.

The festival of our sporting men and women was in danger of not holding at all. After the postponement last year due to the outbreak of the corona virus pandemic, setting a new date had proved very difficult. The uncertainty of the pandemic coupled with a complex political process in Edo State had put the holding of the festival in jeopardy. When that dust was settled the issue of financial responsibility came to light. While Edo State threatened not to hold the festival due to paucity of funds, accusing the Federal Government of not financially supporting the Games, the Ministry countered by threatening to move the festival to Abuja.

It was unclear what funds Edo State were actually requesting for. The Federal Government through the Ministry of Sports was financially responsible for financial logistics of all technical officials invited by the concerned federations, ministry officials connected with the festival and guests of the Ministry. All other aspects of the programme were to be underwritten by the host state. These other aspects include, but not limited to: transportation, security, medical, Games Village accommodation and feeding and entertainment. However, a source close to the Edo State Government explained that in the bid to host the Games, the state was ready with commitments and layers of expectations, mostly commercial accruals and benefits most of which evaporated with Covid-19.

They say that since it was the Federal Government through the Ministry of Sports that postponed the NSF in its wisdom, that put the event in jeopardy therefrom. Several new dates have by inadvertent increased the cost of hosting it. The Government of Edo State insisted that in changing the dates, new costs were added to what it was originally committed to and if it must hold on the new date given by the Ministry, the FG should take care of the new additions. The spokesperson for the State government argued that it was a fair position to take because Edo State was ready for the Games when it was postponed.

This in my opinion was uncharitable. The postponement of the festival was always imminent. The conditions of world events in relation to the pandemic and the uncertainty of knowledge by the experts made holding a gathering of over 5000 people impossible to justify. It would have put the nation’s health at risk. There is need to look at the bid process again and fine-tune areas of finance and insurance.

When Wimbledon tennis was cancelled due to the pandemic, the event got a whooping payment from their insurance company. Estimated to be in the region of $141 million USD. Is our National Sports Festival insured? The bid process and bid documents from states would need to go through rigorous and public scrutiny going forward to protect the NSF from cancellations and often postponements due to finance or politics. The bid document has to be an open document widely publicized. It has to be a call for States to bid. This should be prepared with business and legacy angles in mind. The Federal Government should then provide technical support to states where needed. In implementation and ensuring legacy.

However, the Ministry was not forthcoming with the extra money needed by Edo State. After an exchange of threats and counter threats on if the festival would go ahead in Edo State (at about three days to the start of the event, there was still uncertainty that Edo would host), the state finally held the opening ceremony on the 3rd of April. But just days into the games, The Local Organizing Committee, announced that it would end the games abruptly on Thursday, April 8, 2021 for lack of funds. The LOC said that it had to take the hard decision due to lack of funds having expended its reserves to kick start the games. “It regretted that the FG is yet to redeem its pledge to support us as the host state financially for the cost of postponements and so was left with no option than to end the games immediately”. But the Federal Government dismissed the position of the LOC, saying the festival had just been flagged off, will continue as planned, insisting through a statement signed by its Assistant Director Press, Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Ramon Balogun . “The Ministry and the Main Organizing Committee for the festival are unaware 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 statement went on to say, “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 Federal 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 FMYSD and EDSG are determined to deliver a successful National Sports Festival.”

The money did arrive eventually. A bounty of N500 million. The Games did go ahead in the midst of these confusion and some organizational hazard. But in all these, the athletes who lingered in confusion were the scapegoats. Tossed around and unsure of their fate. They were left to await the decisions of the politicians and civil servants in order to continue to do what they know best and what they had prepared for in the unsure climate of the pandemic…a competition.