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The Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the 23rd National Sports Festival, tagged Enugu Coal City Games, has constituted several sub-committees to coordinate preparations for the national sporting event.
The festival is scheduled to hold in Enugu from November 27 to December 11, 2026.
The committees will oversee key areas including the Games Village, accommodation, catering, media and communication, protocol, ceremonies, security, transport, venues, finance, sponsorship, volunteers, mobilisation, medical services and technical operations.
In a statement, LOC Chairman Hon. Lloyd Ike Ekweremadu Jr and Secretary-General Olumide Bamiduro said the constitution of the committees marked an important phase in preparations for the Games.
They said members were selected based on their expertise, experience and relevance to the responsibilities assigned to each committee.
Key Committees Announced
The Games Village Management Committee will be chaired by Ekweremadu, with Bamiduro as secretary. Members include Davidson Owumi, Dr Ademola Are, Boniface Onovo, Miriam Aniekwe and Obiora Obasi.
The Accommodation Sub-Committee will be headed by Obiora Obasi, with Henry Okorie as deputy chairman and Obinna Chukwu as secretary.
The Catering Sub-Committee will be chaired by Ekweremadu, with Bamiduro as deputy chairman and Nancy Nwoha as secretary. Nkiru Udunaga will serve as assistant secretary.
The committees are expected to coordinate accommodation, feeding and Games Village services for athletes, officials and other participants.
Media Committee Takes Shape
The Media and Communication Sub-Committee will be chaired by the Enugu State Commissioner for Information, with Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) Chairman Gideon Iwueke as deputy chairman.
Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media, Uche Anichukwu, will serve as secretary.
Other members include Dan Nwomeh, Foster Ejikeme Chime, Dan Onwuegbuna, Frankie Omokhua, Osondu Ngwude, Nneka Anibueze, Ndubueze Chidoka of Radio Nigeria, Felicia Nwokorie, Solomon Unya and Brian Okechukwu, the media officer of the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
The committee will coordinate publicity, media access, information dissemination and communication activities before and during the Games.
Security Structure Set Up
The Protocol Sub-Committee will be headed by the Chief of Protocol to the Enugu State Government, with Princess Ugwu Obiajulu as deputy chairman and the Senior Special Assistant on Protocol to the Governor as secretary.
The Ceremonial Sub-Committee will be chaired by Akuchukwu Aghazu, with Hon. Ricky Agu, Chairman of Enugu Air, as deputy chairman.
The Director of Organising in the Ministry of Youth and Sports will serve as secretary, with Bamiduro, Edward Adebisi, Jane Owoh and Robinson Okosun as members.
The Security Sub-Committee will be chaired by the Commissioner of Police, with Raymond Ugwu, Chairman of the House Committee on Youths, Sports and Security, as deputy chairman.
Osondu Ifeanyi, Chief Security Officer to the Government House, will serve as secretary.
Representatives of the Department of State Services, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the General Officer Commanding 82 Division are also part of the security structure.
More Committees Established
The LOC also constituted committees covering transport, venue and facilities, finance, marketing and sponsorship, volunteers, mobilisation, tourism and festival experience, medical services, technical operations and the Games Secretariat.
The Finance Sub-Committee will be chaired by Hon. Nathaniel Urama, while Davidson Owumi will head the Marketing and Sponsorship Sub-Committee.
Former Nigerian athletics star Mary Onyali will chair the Volunteers Sub-Committee, while the chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) will head the Mobilisation Sub-Committee.
Jonathan Nnaji will chair the Technical Sub-Committee, while Commissioner for Health Prof. George Ugwu will head the Medical Sub-Committee.
Bamiduro will lead the Games Secretariat.
The Transport Sub-Committee will be chaired by the Commissioner for Transport, while the Venue and Facilities Sub-Committee will be headed by the Commissioner for Works, with Ekweremadu serving as co-chairman.
Countdown To Enugu Coal City Games
The constitution of the sub-committees comes as Enugu intensifies preparations for the 23rd National Sports Festival.
The event is scheduled for November 27 to December 11 and is expected to bring athletes, officials and other stakeholders from across Nigeria to the state.
The LOC said the committee structure would strengthen coordination across the various areas of preparation ahead of the opening of the Games.
