By Victor Okoye

Dr George Nwaeke, the Head of Service (HOS) of Rivers State, says the state government is eager to host a top-notch Federation of Public Service Games (FEPSGA) again.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that FEPSGA is an annual sports competition between Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in the Federal Public Service.

It aims to enhance the physical well-being of public servants and encourage sportsmanship in the Service.

Rivers hosted the recently concluded 43rd edition of FEPSGA in Port Harcourt.

The game christened ‘Simplified Rivers 2024’ held between Nov. 27 to Dec. 5 with no fewer than 10, 000 athletes and officials taking part in about 16 sporting events.

Nwaeke, who doubled as the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the Games told NAN that it was an honour for the state to have hosted the Games.

He added that the governor, Siminalayi Fubara and the good people of Rivers State were desirous of hosting the Games again, due to it’s unifying platform.

“This is not the first time Rivers State is hosting the Public Service Games. Before now, we hosted it under the leadership of Sir Dr Peter Odili.

“So, hosting FEPSGA this year (2024) put us amongst the exclusive list of just two states that have hosted at least twice in the history of the Games, and it is our desire to further break the record as the only state to host the Games thrice.

“We are indeed proud and fulfilled to have hosted a hitch-free world-class event, while providing a secure and conducive environment for the overall success of the Games,” he said.

He noted that the Games brought together participants from across Nigeria to compete in the spirit of unity and camaraderie, while describing Rivers as a land of peace, hospitality, and rich cultural heritage.

Nwaeke added that the economic impact of the Games were enormous for petty traders and residents of the state.

“For example, the small business owners who usually sold 10 plates of food a day, were now selling 1,000 plates of food a day.

“For the photographers, for those selling water, infact for any little thing our people sold or were engaged in which was of economic benefit, their businesses blossomed and they more than quadrupled their turnovers and profits,” he said.

The HOS stressed that hosting FEPSGA as a state was beyond winning of medals, adding that the platform also gave the state a rare opportunity of telling its story.

“You know that civil service run the economy and everything in a state or country, as the case may be.

“The bulk of the people who run the Nigerian economy were in Port Harcourt. We had the opportunity to have all the people that take action in Nigeria.

“So, to us, it was like we had first contact with the people that were running the country. By interacting with these people, we were highly motivated and eager to improve our capacity as civil servants in the state after the Games,” he said.

On his assessment of the standard of the Games, he said the facilities, equipment, athletes performance as well as officiating in the various sports were world standard.

“Everything was very well organised, but as hosts we cannot really give a good assessment of ourselves as we are rather the ones to be assessed.

“When we looked at the state of our sporting facilities in the state, we realised that a lot of things were not taken seriously.

“So, we had to quickly swing into action to revamp and renovate the facilities and sports venues at the various locations which had being abandoned for a long time by the previous government,” he said.

Nwaeke revealed that he also ensured that the athletes that represented the state were all certified public servants working in Rivers State.

He stressed that he maintained zero tolerance for the use of mercenaries to compete in the Games.

“Generally, people that know me, know that I am a very fair person and one that believes in transparency and hard work.

“Beyond that, I saw the Games as an opportunity for our workers to personally engage in physical and mental exercises in order for us to improve and build a healthy workforce rather than winning medals at all costs,” he added.

 Nwaeke said that Rivers was open to investors and will continue to upgrade it’s facilities to host both local and international events. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Muhyideen Jimoh