Education Students Association of Nigeria, Federal College of Education, Abeokuta in affiliation with the University of Ibadan (ESAN UI-FCEABK) will partner Ogun State Television (OGTV) and Sports Writer Association of Nigeria (SWAN) Ogun State Chapter for the 2022 Centre for Degree Programmes Sport Festival (CESPORF).

This was announced during a closed door meeting with former CAF African Coach of the Year, Khadiri Ikhana, SWAN Ogun Chairman, Akeem Akintunde and the ESAN directorate of Sport on Wednesday, February 2, 2022.

The opening ceremony and lighting of torch of unity for the 10-day-long festival will hold on Wednesday, March 9, 2022 while the festival proper starts on Monday, March 14, 2022, producing final winners on Wednesday, March 23, 2022, with the first, second and third going away with prizes in football, tennis, athletics, and other sports during the ESAN Gala and Award Night.

Akintunde assured ESAN of media coverage before and during the 2022 events.

The veteran sport broadcaster pledged to feature the activities of the festival on OGTV and bring in sport journalists from SWAN as an effective way of increasing the festival’s visibility.

Ikhana appreciated the efforts of the ESAN team for working assiduously to take sports beyond the four walls of the school and urged them to engage more stakeholders in promoting the image of the school.

Recall, Ikhanna promised to bring an academy to be based in the school for the students to enjoy and aid their development during his visit for the 2021 CESPORF as an ambassador.

To the delight of ESAN, he told the team that he will be a guest of honor in their upcoming match against the institution’s alumni football team on Friday, February 4, 2022.

Ikhana has gone above and beyond, coaching Nigerian women's national team, the men's Olympic team and a number of Nigerian club sides, including Nasarawa United El-Kanemi Warriors, Kwara United, Sunshine Stars, Shooting Stars, Kano Pillars and Enyimba International where he won the African Champions League in 2003.

The CEDEP Sports Festival (CESPORF) is an annual multi-sport event organized by the management of Federal College of Education, Abeokuta under the auspices of the directorate of sports for degree students of University of Ibadan in the institution.

Started and staged in 2013 at the Institution's Sport Complex, the event was conceived to serve as a development and training event to aid students prepare for inter-varsity and national meets but unlike the previous editions, the 2022 edition will see over 300 male and female athletes compete in more than 10 sport.

In his remarks, the Director of Sport, Samuel Ariyibi, shed more light on the festival, he said, “Physically, this sport festival is aimed at encouraging student’s healthy lifestyles and develops their key physical attributes. Mentally, it will develop teamwork, problem-solving, and communication skills among the students while socially, no other extracurricular activities bring students together as sport can.” He added that another importance of this unique festival is “an urgent need to build a platform that shall provide the training ground for young sports men and women that can also serve as a nursery for our national teams.”

Regarding financial backing aspect to aid the trailblazing plans of the festival, Ariyibi commented, “We are looking forward to sponsorship from industries, businesses, and government agencies including the leading players in sport. Various levels of sponsorship are possible.

“Based on the sponsorship level, the sponsors will have access to opportunities to market their brand, reach new customers, improve their public perception and their sales among a new pool of audiences.” He concluded.

Signed for Immediate Publication by;
Olamide O. Abe,
Media Officer,
CESPORF 2022.
08032329567

Ogun state television the underrated nta... Good one though just hope is not for their own publicity

They are known already, so partnering with institution is a way of contributing to the development of institutional sports not PR