Hosts of the 21st National Sports Festival (NSF) Delta State on Wednesday night unveiled Ugo as the official Mascot of the biennial event amid pomp and circumstance.
Also unveiled inside the State Government House in Asaba where the logo and medals of the event are to be held between November 2 and 15, 2022.
Host Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa led in attendance other top sporting personalities at the event including Minister of Youth and Sports Development Sunday Dare, NOC President Eng. Habul Gumel, former Delta State Commissioner and President Athletic Federation of Nigeria (AFN) Chief Solomon Ogba as well as members of the state executive and other top government officials.
In his opening remarks, the Local Organising Committee (LOC) Chairman, Chief Patrick Ukah, who also doubles as the Secretary to the State Government, noted that the unveiling of both the mascot and logo of Delta 2022, shows the readiness of the state toward hosting a successful event.
Tagged: ‘Uniting Nigeria, inspiring a new generation’, Ukah said Delta 2022 would go down in history as the best organised and economically viable with the array of sponsors that have already aligned with the event.
The Sports Minister eulogized Governor Okowa for his unqualified support for sport over the years, adding: “Nigeria is finished should Delta State be taken out of her sporting equation.”
Dare said Delta has done so well for Nigerian sport over the years and hoped the state would be at the ready to host the next edition of what he called Nigeria’s mini-Olympics.
Okowa said the state is happy to bring home the sporting extravaganza it has dominated over the years.
“Of course, we want competitors but we are sure of winning even here at home. We are going to put in our best, and at the end, we would show that truly, ‘Delta no dey carry last,” said the governor.