Mbah Assures Enugu 2026 National Sports Festival Will Start November 27
Enugu State Governor, Dr Peter Mbah, has assured the National Sports Commission that the 23rd National Sports Festival, tagged Coal City Games Enugu 2026, will commence as scheduled on November 27, with the state ruling out any postponement of the event.
Mbah gave the assurance during an inspection tour of the Awgu Games Village, where a 1,000-capacity-bed hostel, indoor and outdoor courts, a standard FIFA football pitch and an eight-lane athletics track are under construction.
‘Recall the commitment we made as a government that we are going to make the 23rd National Sports Festival one of the most memorable festivals in the history of the event,’ Mbah said.
‘These facilities will be ready. I have personally committed to the team from the National Sports Commission, who came on a monitoring visit, that we are not interested in shifting the date. The dates are already fixed for the 23rd National Sports Festival.’
The Governor also disclosed that the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium is undergoing comprehensive reconstruction ahead of the festival.
The project includes a new FIFA-standard football pitch and athletics track, upgraded spectator stands and changing rooms, floodlighting, access-control systems and other modern facilities.
The National Sports Commission, led by its Director General, Bukola Olopade, commended Mbah for personally monitoring preparations and overseeing the infrastructural upgrades across the state.
Olopade expressed appreciation to the Governor for his commitment to delivering a world-class festival.
‘We thank and sincerely appreciate the Governor of Enugu State, Dr Peter Mbah, for the remarkable infrastructural facelift happening across Enugu State and his commitment to ensuring that the Festival takes place as scheduled,’ he said.
Olopade described the National Sports Festival as ‘the Nigerian Olympics’, stressing its wider economic and social impact through job creation, tourism, hospitality, small-business opportunities and national unity.
He said the ongoing investment in sports infrastructure would provide a lasting legacy for Enugu State beyond the festival.
The NSC reaffirmed its continued collaboration with the Enugu State Government and the Local Organising Committee towards the successful staging of the 23rd National Sports Festival, scheduled for November 27 to December 11, 2026.
