National Sports Festival: Traders, transporters, hospitality businesses boom in Ogun

The 22nd National Sports Festival tagged Gateway Games may just be four days old but the host, Ogun State is already reapping the economic benefits of staging the National sports feast.

From Abeokuta to Shagamu and to Ijebu-Ode as well as Ikenne, it’s the same story for young and old.

Traders, transporters and hoteliers are making brisk business from the thousands of sporting visitors that have thronged the Gateway State.

In Abeokuta, most of the top hotels are fully booked and some hotel managers are still working round the clock to give their facilities a facelift as can be seen from a distance.

A good number of hotels have increased their prices. Some visitors who made reservations online, were informed on arrival that the prices have been jerked up by between 2,000 to 5,000 naira depending on the standard price of the room.

Transportation is another sector of the Ogun State economy that is feeling the effect of the sporting activity. Bike riders and cab drivers are enjoying a boom in business just as Point Of Sales operators are making high turnover.

The nightlife in the State capital has bettered, with night-time destinations finding high-quality traffic and patronage.

Traditional antiques and the many tourist attractions are back in vogue, with monetary traffic constantly appreciating. The visitors buying power has been positive of the event and shown the capacity of the Gateway State to shine Nigeria’s colours in its hospitality.

Well prepared varieties of local and national dishes are available at various stands around the MKO Abiola Stadium and the June 12 Cultural Centre, all in Kuto.

The Sports Complex in Ijeha and the Remo Stars stadium, Ikenne are also enjoying similar upscale.

This thread is expected to dovetail into the month of June and July as Ogun State will be hosting series of international sporting competitions starting with two international friendlies immediately after the festival, to the WAFU B U-17 championship and the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) U-18 and U-20 championships.

The near-dormant sporting media spectrum in the ancient city has been given some fillips and the home growth media men and women have fully activated their sporting coverage.

This can be seen with the foresighted move by the Local Organizing Committee (LOC), to use one of the multipurpose halls of the June 12 Cultural Centre as the Media Hub of the Festival.

It’s noteworthy to mention that the State Governor His Excellency, Prince Dapo Abiodun, the Commissioner for Sports, Honourable, Wasiu Isiaka, the Chairman National Sports Commission (NSC), Mallam Shehu Dikko and the Director General of the Sports Commission, Chief Bukola Olopade are all singing for the same hymn sheet that the Gateway Games 2024 is a perfect route to economic, social and sporting development.