By NewsDesk,
The Federal Government has announced the postponement of the 2020 edition of National Sports Festival, saying that the yearly sporting event would not hold as scheduled due to health threats being posed by large social gatherings due to the deadly coronavirus infection.
It explained that modalities to ensure that the novel global pandemic would not be spread as a result of the event, if held, were not in place and that government could not play dice with Nigerian lives by holding such a large event in hopes that there would be no incidence of the deadly disease.
The Minister of Sports, Sunday Dare, reiterated that the festival, which had been scheduled to hold in Edo State, had to be postponed in order to protect lives, health and wellbeing of Nigerians and so as no to open the country up to further disease incidents from people who would have had to travel into the country for the sporting event.
Speaking through a series of tweets released on Tuesday, Dare explained that the decision had been taken after due consideration and briefing of the President on state of affairs, and that all possible angles had been taken into consideration before decision to postpone the sports festival was taken.
He explained that a new date would be chosen and announced for commencement of scheduled sporting activities, stating that the program had merely been postponed but not cancelled.
“Following the briefing of Mr. President from myself and the Minister of State for Health on COVID 19, Mr. President approved the immediate postponement of Edo Sports festival to a future date”.
Details shortly.
