From Paul Osuyi, Asaba
The Delta State Government has approved N456 million as reward for the victorious state athletes in the last edition of National Sports Festival (NSF) tagged “Edo 2020”.
The approval was one of the outcomes of the State Executive Council meeting presided over by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.
Commissioner for Information Charles Aniagwu disclosed this to reporters in Asaba at the end of the meeting.
He said despite the harsh economic situation, the state government was determined to fulfill it’s promise to handsomely reward the athletes before they departed for the sporting fiesta in April.
Governor Okowa had promised the athletes on the eve of their departure that each gold medal would attract a reward of N1 million, silver, N500,000, and bronze, N250,000 courtesy of the state government.
At the end of the competition, Team Delta won a total of 394 medals comprising 158 gold, 126 silver and 110 bronze to emerge overall winner.
According to Aniagwu, the promise by the governor was part of the motivating factors that spurred the athletes to victory.
He added that the victory in Edo 2020 ‘heightened Delta’s bragging right as the number state in sports in Nigeria having won the six previous editions of the NSF.’