Nation’s capital city, Abuja, is agog as the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) has concluded plans to host the 17th Edition of Research Institutes Games Festival tagged: ‘’ABUJA 2022’, the Chairman LOC of the Games Festival, Dr. Abubakar Muhammed, has said.
It is no longer news that Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) was given the hosting rights for the 17th edition of the 2021 RIGAN Games Festival by the National Executive Committee of the Research Institutes Games Association of Nigeria (RIGAN) in July, 2021.
The RMRDC LOC Chairman, Dr. Abubakar Muhammed, while speaking with our reporter in Abuja yesterday stressed that the games festival was initially scheduled for December 2021 but postponed to first quarter of this year 2022 at the instance of the Honourable Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu.
Dr. Abubakar Muhammed, in an exclusive interview with Daily Spokesman said that in furtherance of the commitment of the Director General/CEO, management and Staff of RMRDC to hosting the Games Festival, had secured necessary facilities for both the indoor and outdoor games at two venues- Moshood Abiola National Stadium and Area 10 Old Parade Ground, for use by participating athletes during the 10-day games festival scheduled to take place from the 14th March at Area 10 Old Parade Ground to the Closing Ceremony scheduled for Saturday 19th March 2022.
The 11 events include Football, Volleyball, Basketball, Badminton, Lawn Tennis, Table Tennis, Squash, Billiard, Dart, Chess, Scrabble, Ayo, Track and Field and Veterans for age 45 and 50 staff of the participating Research Institutes.
The LOC Chairman further pointed out that the Council was in touch with the print and electronic media to give the RIGAN Games maximum publicity from the opening ceremony billed to hold at the Area 10 Old Parade Ground on the 14th March to the Closing Ceremony scheduled for Saturday 19th March, 2022.
In his words, “We are adequately in contact with media organizations to give adequate and maximum publicity and coverage of the series of daily events at the games festival at the two simultaneous venues”, he said.
He further disclosed that at the forth-coming ’’ABUJA 2022” RIGAN Games Festival, the Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr. Sunday Dare, will be the chairman of the opening ceremony while the special guests of honour are the Honourable Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr.Ogbonnaya Onu and the Honourable Minister of State for Science, Technology and Innovation, Barrister Mohammed H. Abdullahi . The DG/CEO of RMRDC, Prrofessor Hussaini Ibrahim Doko is hosting the games.
Other guests of honour expected to be in attendance at the biennial games festival are the Honourable Ministers of the Federal Capital Territory, Agriculture and Rural Development, Water Resources, Health, Education, Environment and Transportation, or their representatives.
Directors General and Executive Directors of all research institutes in the country whose contingents are participating are also expected to be attendance.
On the need to provide adequate security at the games festival, Dr. Muhammed gave assurance that necessary security arrangements had been made.
He said: ’’ We are not unaware of the Security Challenges in the Country and as such we are networking with the security agencies in the Federal Capital Territory for provision of required security personnel at the games venues and accommodation to guarantee the safety of contingents, officials and as well as the spectators during the games’’.
He maintained that the organizers of the games festival were poised to beef up security at all venues and accommodation provided by the Council for athletes and officials for seamless concentration of the contingents.
Over 30 Research Institutes in the Federal Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and Federal Ministry of Education are participating in the 10-day games which promise to feature exciting moments for the residents of Abuja and the environs.
The LOC Chairman noted that the participating institutes will battle for trophies and medals in 14 games namely Football, Athletics, Volley Ball, Lawn Tennis and Basket Ball. There is also 5-aside Football for Veteran men of 50 years and above, Athletics- digital and veterans of 50 years and above for men while women’s age is set at 45 years above.
Also to feature during the festival are games and sporting events such as Chess, Draught, Darts, Scrabble, AYO, Billiard, Badminton, Table Tennis, Tennis, Squash – veterans and digital for men and women within the age bracket of 50 and 45 years, respectively.
I will be recalled that two years ago, about 20 research institutes battled for trophies and honours at the 10-day 16th RIGAN Games which was hosted by the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NIBRRI) at Sango-Ota, Ogun State where the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, (FRIN), Ibadan emerged the overall champions with 20 Gold, 21 Silver and 22 Bronze medals.
A visit to the RMRDC Headquarters at No. 17, Aguiyi Ironsi Street in the Maitama District of Abuja showed a beehive of activities involving various sub-committees raised by RIGAN in preparation for the epoch-making games festival.
It was a similar spectacle at both the Area 10 Garki Parade Ground and Moshood Abiola National Stadium where adequate security details were seen making last-minute arrangements to deploy their personnel in preparation for the games.
