Accommodation for athletes, officials, VIP guests, and organisers of the Niger Delta Sports Festival (NDSF) is expected to boost economic activities in the host state, Akwa Ibom
NDSF organisers are projecting no fewer than 3000 bed spaces for athletes and coaches as well as over 2000 hotel accommodation for administrators, organisers, and very important guests. This number excludes the expected influx of local and international media, scouts, sports enthusiasts, and tourists.
Head, Special Duties, Onome Obruthe confirmed to NSDF Media channel that while collation of data on the exact number of various cadre of participants is ongoing, “We can at least confirm that athletes alone will account for close to 3000 from the nine Niger Delta States.
He said the festival has an international dimension as regulatory officials from international bodies would be part of the officiating officials in events such as athletics, wrestling, and weightlifting.
“We are working on accommodation for athletes, coaches, technical officials, administrators, organisers, and guests.
“This is approaching the size of a national sports festival and we are going in this direction to set the markers for sports development in line with the vision of the Federal Government to create a sports economy”, Obruthe further stated.
The maiden NDSF will be held in Akwa Ibom from April 1-8 and is open to the nine states that made up the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) The states are Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, and Delta. Others are Edo, Imo, Ondo, and Rivers.
The NDDC is the major sponsor of the festival, which seeks to spot and nurture sportsmen and women from the region to provide them platforms to express their innate talent through sports.