Official-Nigeria University games to hold Feb.12 to Feb.22

The 24th Nigeria University Games Association Games earlier scheduled to hold last year will now hold between Feb. 12 and Feb. 22 at the Obafemi Awolowo University , Ile-Ife, Osun.

Cecilia Arinye, NUGA council member, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria on Friday on telephone.

Arinye said that the Games, earlier scheduled for Oct. 12 to Oct. 22, 2013, was postponed indefinitely due to the six- month strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities .

The member said that the new date was to give hope to the student athletes and to reawaken the Games.

“It is good news that the impasse has ended. The athletes who had undergone preliminaries since June and July, will now be able to exhibit their skills at the competition.

“Some of them hope to use the event as a launching pad to the forthcoming Commonwealth Games, so, staging the event in February before the Commonwealth Games will be an advantage.

“Many of the student athletes had used the competition to get to the bigger stage in various sports, while the chances are still available for the upcoming ones,” she said.

Arinye, who is also the NUGA Zone F Co-ordinator, comprising the universities in Lagos, Ogun and Oyo States, said that necessary logistics had been put in place to welcome contingents to the Games.

According to Arinye, the host university is ready for the Games, having put in place structures and sporting facilities for the event.

She called on athletes to be law abiding and make the best of the opportunities provided by the platform to launch themselves into world reckoning.

NAN reports that the last edition of the competition was held at the University of Benin in 2010.