Buhari opens 2016 Nigerian Army Sports Festival

President Muhammadu Buhari will today declare open, the 2016 edition of the Nigeria Army Sports Festival holding at the mainbowl of the Abuja National Stadium.

Chairman of the Central Organizing Committee of the 16th edition of the games, Major General John S. Malu confirmed told newsmen over the weekend in Abuja.

“The President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces will be the Special Guest of Honor for the opening ceremony. We have invited the 36 state Governors, all the ministers. It is going to be a very high power delegation.”

He explained that the weeklong event which in the words of Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Buratai is marking the beginning of victory celebration in the war against terror in Nigeria will have about 1,760 athletes across 6 Divisions of the Army competing in 19 sports.

“The war on terror is almost over. If soldiers that are engaged in the fight against terror can have time to come and do sports, then every other person is free to come to Nigeria to invest and go about their businesses peacefully. That is one of the main reasons for this event. To reassure the international community that Nigeria is very safe.”

On the events for the sports festival, Malu said, “In total, they are 19 events cutting across football, table tennis, tennis, chess, scrabble, taekwondo, judo, wrestling, half marathon, tug of war, athletics and boxing amongst others.