Opemipo Dare & Faidat Bello
The Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin is set to discover and project sport talents at the 20th edition of the bi-annual Nigeria Polytechnic Games (NIPOGA) tagged ‘Ilorin 2020’.
The Vice Chairman, Local Organizing Committee (LOC), for the games, Mr Gboyega Adewoye disclosed this while fielding questions from news men in his office.
Mr Adewoye was confident that NIPOGA will discover young talents that can represent Nigeria at sports events across Africa and the world at large.
He added that the games would further help divert students attention from cultism and all social vices into productive event like sports .
Mr Adewoye added that the games would create an opportunity of showcasing beautiful things that are in kwara to the general public and Nigeria as a whole.
He expressed confidence that the game would boost the economy of the state, saying that people will troupe in with resources to buy from local sellers who will be showcasing their goods and services within the period of the games.
He said the hotels in Ilorin will equally receive a boost as over 1,000 officials expected at the games in addition with other people coming in for the games are going to add more value to the state socially, and economically.
“They have to lodge and this will help hotels to experience a boost within this period. Local sellers in Ilorin can bring in their goods, their artifacts, souvenirs when they are duely accredited here, we have opportunity of selling to people that are coming from different parts of Nigeria” he said.
The 12-day sporting programme that will hold between February, 5th and 16th 2020 at Kwara State Polytechnic permanent site, will feature 54 polytechnics across Nigeria as participants. The games will be the second of it’s kind to be hosted by the institution since it’s last hosting in 1980s.
“The game is coming back after 40 years if not 50 years so it is a thing of pride to us in kwarapoly that we are opportune to host over 54 polytechnics across the country for period of about 12 days starting from the 5th of February to their departure on the 16th of February 2020.The idea of the hosting was to showcase facilities that we have, and to let the world know that we have the sporting facilities that are up to standard to host game of that magnitude and even bigger games.
“So, kwarapoly is going to be a focus point all over the country all over Africa for 12 days during the period of these games when we say focus we are talking about national attention of the whole country in kwara” he added.
Mr. Adewoye attributed the postponement of the event which was supposed to be held in December, 2019 to change in leadership of the Kwara State Polytechnic’s Rector.
“Immediately the new rector assumed office sometimes in December, 2019, the idea was shown to him that we had already accepted to host the games and being somebody who will not want to rush into something being a new man he needed to give himself some time to study the ground, assess what we have done so far to see whether we are actually ready or whether he will need to give himself sometime to be seriously ready for the games and that was why we shifted to February” .
“He needed some time to study the ground to look at our strength, our weaknesses, our opportunities, in order to have a reasonable time that he can as well say we are ready so that is just the reason why we shifted a little bit” he added.
He however noted that the games will create an avenue for a cross fertalization of ideas culturally, historically and economically.
