As a practical mechanism for fostering unity and encouraging the spirit of sportsmanship among the State Civil Servants, the Kwara State Government has declared open activities around the 2019 Kwara Civil Service Games Festival.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Sports and Youth Development, Alhaji Abdulquadir Shuaib Akanbi, made the declaration today while receiving at the premises of the Ministry the Staff Officers of the various ministries in the State.
Alhaji Akanbi, who was represented by the Director, Personal, Finance and Supply, Alhaja Afusat Afolabi, applauded the Government of Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for its discretion to have resuscitated and approved fund for the staging of the defunct Game Festival, which was initiated in the year 2008 but abandoned after the second edition in the year 2014.
He edified that the 2019 edition (which will be the third edition) will begin on the 6th of November, 2019, with an endurance trek which will be conducted by the State Head of Service, Mrs. Suzan Modupe Oluwole, round some streets within Ilorin Metropolis, stating that the grand finale is scheduled to come up on the 13th of the same month.
Commending the representatives of the Ministries there present for their impressive turn out, the Permanent Secretary enumerated Football, Badminton, Table Tennis, Chess, Scrabble and Volleyball as the games lined up to take place in the 2019 edition.
He further warned the participating Ministries, agencies and parastatals against hiring professional athletes, adding that casual workers are not also eligible to participate since the Championship is exclusively designed for the civil servants.
Alhaji Akanbi also noted that the participating athletes, who will undergo a strict screening and accreditation prior to the commencement of the Championship, must produce the Identification Cards of their respective ministries, and will not take part in more than two events.
While analysing the syllabus of and the regulations guiding the Tourney, the Deputy-Director, Sports Development, Mallam Ibrahim Baako, disclosed that the participating athletes are to be fit, healthy and present at the venue of the event at least Thirty Minutes before the take-off, emphasising that they must comport themselves throughout the period of the games.
He further urged all the participating ministries and agencies to take the tournament seriously, noting that the success of this edition signals an improvement on the Championship.
Questions raised by the representatives of the invited Ministries were satisfactorily handled.
Also present at the gathering were the Director, Youth Development, Alhaja Aishat Mohammed, the Director, Planning, Research and Statistics, Alhaja Memunat Mustapha, the CFA, Alhaja Taibat Abdullahi, the Deputy DPFS, Alhaji Yusuf Jaja, the Staff Officer, Mrs. E. I. Abiodun, the Head of Coaching (Technical), Kwara State Sports Council, Alhaji Ibrahim Alarape, the Head of Organising, Alhaja Afusat Adesoye, Chief Executive Officer, Sports Council, Hajia Mariam Babatunde, and others.
