By Victor Okoye
Abuja, Dec. 21, 2024 (NAN) Sir Dr George Nwaeke (fca, mni), the Head of Service (HOS) of Rivers State, says the state government is eager to host the Federation of Public Service Games (FEPSGA) again.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that FEPSGA is an annual sporting event that brings together the sports clubs in the Ministries Extra-Ministerial Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in the Federal Public Service.
It aims to enhance the physical well-being of public servants and encourage sportsmanship in the service.
Rivers State were the hosts of the recently concluded 43rd edition of FEPSGA in Port Harcourt.
The game christened ‘Simplified Rivers 2024’, which commenced on Nov. 27 and ended on Dec. 5 with no fewer than 10, 000 athletes and officials taking part in about 16 sporting events including; football, handball, volleyball, basketball, athletics, scrabble, tennis, badminton, chess, swimming, among others.
A total of four main venues in the state capital were used for the games. They were Yakubu Gowon Stadium, Port Harcourt Club, Sharks Stadium, and the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium.
Nwaeke, who doubled as the Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee for the Games told newsmen on the sidelines of his daughter’s traditional wedding ceremony over the weekend in Port Harcourt that, it was an honour for the state to have hosted the Games.
He said that the governor, His Excellency, Siminalayi Fubara and the good people of Rivers State were desirous of hosting it again.
“This is not the first time Rivers State is hosting the Public Service Games. Before now, Rivers State hosted the Public Service Games under the leadership of Sir Dr Peter Odili.
“So, hosting FEPSGA this year put us amongst the exclusive list of just two states that have hosted at least twice in the history of the Games, and it is our desire to further break the record as the only state to host the Games thrice.
“We are indeed proud and fulfilled to have hosted a hitch-free world-class event while providing a secure and conducive environment for the overall success of the Games,” he said.
He noted that the Games brought together partipants from across Nigeria to compete in the spirit of unity and camaraderie while describing Rivers State as a land of peace, hospitality, and rich cultural heritage.
He added that the economic impact of the Games was undescribable and so enormous.
“For example, the small business owners who usually sold 10 plates of food a day were now selling 1,000 plates of food a day.
“For the photographers, for those selling water, infact for any little thing our people sold or were engaged in which was of economic benefit, their businesses blossomed and they more than quadrupled their turnovers and profits.
“It outgrew our real economy in many folds. However, all these were still nothing compared to what we gained as a state by hosting the Games,” he said.
The HOS stressed that hosting FEPSGA as a state was beyond winning of medals, adding that hosting of the Games also gave the state a rare opportunity of telling its story.
“You know that civil service runs the economy and everything in a state or country, as the case may be.
“The bulk of the people who run the Nigerian economy were in Port Harcourt. We were opportuned to have all the people that take action in Nigeria.
“So, to us, it was like we had first contact with the people that were running the country. By interacting with these people, we were highly motivated and eager to improve our capacity as civil servants in the state after the Games,” he said.
On his assessment of the standard of the Games, he said the facilities, equipment, athletes performance as well as officiating in the various sports were world standard.
“Everything was very well organized, but as hosts, we can not really give a good assessment of ourselves as we are rather the ones to be assessed.
“But I must say I am satisfied with the quality, the hospitality of our people, and the way and manner in which we hosted the event.
“When we looked at the state of our sporting facilities in the state, we realized that a lot of things were not taken seriously.
“So, we had to quickly swing into action to revamp and renovate the facilities and sports venues at the various locations which had been abandoned for a long time by the previous government.
“In terms of security, we ensured that we stepped up and maintained a high level of alertness, as we saw it as an opportunity for people to assess us and to find out if we were a peaceful state, contrary to what they hear and see on television and on the pages of newspapers.
“Indeed, some of our people demarket the state for their personal reasons, but I can tell you that our state is a very peaceful one.
“With this we believe, the Games has gone a long way in helping us renew the confidence of our investors who were hitherto afraid of coming to do business in our state and I pray Rivers State can be given another opportunity to host the Games,” he said.
Nwaeke revealed that he also ensured that the athletes that represented the state were all certified public servants working in Rivers State.
He stressed that he maintained zero tolerance for the use of mercenaries to compete in the Games.
“Generally, people that know me know that I am a very fair person and one that believes in transparency and hard work.
“Beyond that, I saw the Games as an opportunity for our workers to personally engage in physical and mental exercises in order for us to improve and build a healthy workforce rather than winning medals at all costs.
“So, I told them to go and participate in the spirit of fair play and even if they don’t win medals, the benefits of just participating in the Games alone was more than enough experience and advantage for us as a workforce.
“That’s my philosophy, and I tried my best to maintain it. I can attest to the fact that every athlete who represented our state during the Games had an I.D. card and were all my civil servants working in the state.
“In fact, I had to personally authenticate the I.D Cards of every athlete that took part in the Games before we officially released them to participate,” he said(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
