Festival budget,contingent worry LOC

         A supposed lean budget coupled with expectations of an overbloated number of participants have proved to be the major problems of the Local Organising Committee of the 2004 National Sports Festival which gets underway in five days time at the National Stadium Complex in Abuja,Nigeria's fast growing capital.

         The festival which is the country's version of the Olympics is in its 14th edition, and as usual, is expected to attract athletes from all the 36 states of the federation,including Abuja.

          Investigations by nigeriasports.com revealed that all is not well despite recent postures of the organisers on an anticipated hitch-free sporting fiesta.

          Austin Mgbolu,the Chairman Media Sub-Committee of the festival LOC told nigeriasports.com in an exclusive interview,Wednesday,that officials of the host city had grossly under-budgetted for the biennial event,apparently due to their lack of knowledge about the magnitude of the project at hand,adding that many  states have also decided to hit Abuja with large contingents.

           "What has happened is that the LOC has just realised that money earlier budgetted for prosecuting the festival would be inadequate to bankroll the expenses envisaged,"says Mgbolu."That is why the MOC which is the Main Organising Committee is intervening,they are now working with the LOC on ways to avoid an impending financial difficulty."

            Speaking further,Mgbolu stated that ,"the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory[FCT] Mallam Nasir El-Rufai has also asked the LOC to reappraise its budget.Perhaps those who drew up the initial budget had deliberately come up with such a low figure in fear of the minister who we all know has a penchant for accountability and prudency.He was however extremely tight-lipped on the real figure initially approved.

            "In the case of contingents from different parts of the country,the LOC is expecting about 11,000 athletes and officials going by what we anticipate.Actually,we were expecting each of the states to come for the festival with a maximum of 300,but now we hear some of them are coming with as much as 1000.So our fear is that the Games Village might be hit by a population explosion.

             "However,we are trying to see how we can avoid such an eventuality.All hands are on deck to make sure that we have a blissful and most eventful sports festival."

             The Natinal Sports Festival is a traditional hunting ground for sports authorities in Nigeria,for promising talents with potentials of being future continental and world beaters.The event holds from May 3-16.