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We are hosting NUGA to win — Unilag VC

Ogundipe, who made the assertion during a media visit to the Lagos Directorate of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Iganmu, noted that hosting in 2019 would make it the fourth time UNILAG will stage the competition.

He said that the university last hosted the competition in 1998 after they had previously done so in 1968 and 1978.

The vice-chancellor added that the competition would be a big one because the institution had all it takes to host an event of such magnitude successfully.

He said the hosting right was given to the university because of its level of preparation and the current state of the facilities.

“When they came on inspection of the facilities that we have, they found out that the facilities that we have we can improved upon. You may say that it has not met the standard for now.

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“When they came, they saw the pavilion and we are working on some other areas because they have given us the hosting right and we have signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), we just need to work on them quickly to be able to get prepared for the competition.

“We are having something very great next year, and that is the NUGA Games. We are hosting the NUGA Games after 20 years; the last time was 1998, during the time of prof. Jelili Omotola.

“We are not hosting it this year, we are hosting next year and that will be 21 years after.

`It is going to be a big one, and we want your support in that area, all the necessary support,” he said

In terms of preparations, the vice-chancellor said that the John Momoh-led Local Organising Committee are going about the task in a spirited manner.

“We want to actually make sure that the University of Lagos is truly the university of first choice and the nation’s pride with the hosting of this competition,” he said.

Ogundipe told NAN that come June 2019, the institution would be ready to host the Games by June 2019, all things being equal.

Contributing, Prof. Grace Otinwa, Professor of Exercise Physiology in the institution, said that through the hosting of NUGA, the institution had produced sportsmen and women of repute.

Otinwa said some of the athletes that participated in the previous NUGA competition had emerged winners at national sports festival.

She said the institution became the first beneficiary of tartan track in 1998 after hosting the competition.

“We have some of them doing well in many international events in various countries of the world, majorly in the U.S.

“In the area of infrastructure, when we hosted the competition in 1998, that was the time that we got the support of various companies and the Federal Government in boosting the facilities that we have.

“The University of Lagos became the first beneficiary of the much tautened track due to the hosting of the competition,” she said.

Otinwa said the likes of Felix Owolabi, Hameed Adio, Chioma Ajunwa and Aisha Falode and others too numerous to mention were discovered during the NUGA Games.

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