PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has again expressed Nigeria’s readiness to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games, as the country hopes to make history as the first African nation to host the Games.
News Point Nigeria Sports reports that the 2030 Commonwealth Games will also mark the centenary celebration of the event, which was first held in Hamilton, Canada, in 1930.
Commonwealth Sports president, Donald Rukare, confirmed earlier this month that Nigeria will face competition from India, as the two countries that have put in bids to host the 2030 edition of the Games, after they both met the August 31 deadline.
Nigeria had pencilled Abuja as the preferred host city, while Ahmadabad was put forward by India.
In a passionate message to the Commonwealth, Tinubu described Nigeria as the gateway to Africa and urged the body to recognise the continent’s central place in the future of the Games.
“To the Commonwealth family, it is time for Africa,” Tinubu wrote in posts oon Thursday sighted by this newspaper on his official social media accounts.
“After 100 years of the Commonwealth Games, they have never been hosted on African soil. By bringing the Commonwealth centenary Games to Nigeria in 2030, you will send a powerful message that every region of the Commonwealth matters, and that Africa is not only part of the story, but central to its future.
Nigeria is the gateway. Africa is the stage. The Commonwealth is the family. Let us make history together in 2030. Let us complete the circle of Commonwealth unity. The dream must be realised. The time is now.”
On Wednesday, Nigeria also delivered an advanced presentation to the Commonwealth Games Federation in London, United Kingdom, to propel the nation’s bid to host the centenary edition of the Commonwealth Games in 2030.
The Nigerian delegation, led by the Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, and Director General, Bukola Olopade, emphasised that the bid was an opportunity to foster a shared legacy that epitomises the Commonwealth spirit.
The delegates presented an all-inclusive bid, with focus areas such as sports excellence, arts, international cultural exchange, tapping into a budding creative economy, building a new shared commonwealth legacy, and shaping the future of the African youth.
Meanwhile, Nigeria also welcomed the Commonwealth Sport Bid Evaluation Committee to Abuja last Thursday, in a major step towards hosting the Games.
President Tinubu, represented by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, formally received the delegation at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.