Cross River State at the weekend
in Ilorin retained its title at the
Sterling Bank-sponsored 6th
National School Sports Festival
after coming top on the overall
medals’ table, thereby winning
the trophy for keeps after
winning it for three consecutive
times.
The state finished with 115 gold,
78 silver and 61 bronze medals.
Lagos came second, after
garnering 49 gold, 43 silver and
54 bronze medals; Anambra with
the largest number of contingent
was third with 48 gold, 49 silver
and 63 bronze medals.
OndoState came forth, with 32
gold, 46 silver and 56 bronze
medals, while host state was fifth
with16 gold, 21 silver and 30
bronze medals.
Benue and Adamawa ended the
festival without a medal to show
for their effort.
The climax of the closing
ceremony was the final of the
football event in the U-17
category and the 4X100 meters
relay in U-13 and U-15
categories.
In the football event Kwara
defeated Niger 2-0, with goals
coming from Onuora Uzochukwu
and Henry Samuel in the 30th
and 32nd minute, while Cross
River carted away all the gold
medals in both the U-13 and
U-15 boys and girls categories
respectively.
Declaring the festival close,
KwaraState governor, Alhaji
Abdulfatah Ahmed, represented
by the state Head of Service,
Aihaji Dabarako Mohammed was
grateful to everyone that made
the festival a success in spite of
the short notice.
“I congratulated the NSSF for a
successful festival, it has been
able to foster unity among
Nigerians and I prayed that the
high standard will be maintained.
The festival should be a platform
for the future of sports in the
country,” he said.
He said Kwara State government
will always be ready to host
competition of this magnitude
whenever the state is called
upon, just as he promised that
the state’s sporting
infrastructure would be improve
upon for future competitions.
He concluded by saying that
“athletes discovered by the state
during the festival will be
nurtured to greater heights and
taken good care of.”

Anambra
with
the largest number of
contingent
was third with 48 gold, 49
silver
and 63 bronze medals.