The delegation from the National Sports Commission on Wednesday presented the Torch of Unity to the governor of Benue State, Hyacinth Alia.
The presentation of the torch serves as a formal invitation to the State to attend the event slated to hold from May 16 to May 30 in Ogun State.
Receiving the torch on behalf of the governor, the state deputy governor Sam Ode applauded the delegation for the visit and described the visit as a mark of unity that will unite all sports lovers across the country and solidify national cohesion amidst diverse backgrounds.
Ode said that his principal is a sports enthusiast who has brought a lot of innovation in the sports sector especially the infrastructural development of the sector.
He called on investors to come to the state and invest in sporting activities, describing sports as an industry.
He said, “I want to let you know that no preceding governor of Benue State has supported the development of sports as governor Alia has done by investing huge resources into the sector, especially football.
“We want to call on investors to come and invest in sporting activities of the state because sports is an industry, so we are looking at it beyond recreational or social activities but as a business and we are going to diversify to other sporting activities like Volleyball, Handball Table Tennis among others to haunt talents that will represent the State”
Ode also commended the resilience of officials of the state-owned football club, Lobi Stars for their doggedness in the face of the daunting challenges of playing outside their home and expressed optimism that the McCarthy Stadium, Makurdi will be ready for the club to play their home matches.
