Cross River state governor,
Senator Liyel Imoke has pledged
that the state will raise the bar of
the National Sports Festival by
hosting a technologically driven
game that would be “world class.”
The governor spoke Friday night in
Calabar while unveiling the games
logo and mascot-Bamba at the
magnificent Venetian event
centre.
Imoke who added that the state is
not hosting to win at all cost, said
what Cross River is out to achieve
is to stage a sporting competition
that every Nigerian would be
proud of.
In his words: “The Centenary
Games-Calabar 2014 will be a true
celebration of all that is great
about Nigerian sports. For us, the
main agenda is not to win the
games, rather we will make the
event a passionate and vibrant
exhibition of the peace and
serenity that Cross River state is
known for. Nigerians will after the
games leave Calabar with a sense
of pride and fulfillment.”
The games mascot –Bamba which
is a specie of guerilla found in the
rain forest of Boki in northern part
of Cross River was unmasked by
athletics legend Mercy Nku, a
former African and Commonwealth
games gold medalist.
Director General of National
Sports Commission (NSC) Hon.
Gbenga Elegbeleye who is the
chairman of the games Main
Organising Committee (MOC)
commended Cross River for
staging a colorful logo and mascot
unveiling ceremony, pointing out
that the success of the show was a
clear indication of what to expect
in November.
“I am happy the first major pre
games event is a huge success. It
shows that we are in for a
wonderful National Sports Festival
come November,” Elegbeleye
stated. Popular Nigerian pop star
Sunny Sunny Nneji thrilled the
audience with a rendition of the
games theme song which he
composed, alongside the Calabar
carnival girls.
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