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In a matter of days, all roads will lead to the Gateway State for the 22nd edition of the National Sports Festival (NSF). The festival, a celebration of Nigeria’s rich sports and cultural heritage, is billed to feature athletes competing in 33 sporting events, and is bound to be Nigeria’s best so far given the huge investments that Ogun State government has put into it.

A visit to the ‘state-of-the-art’ facilities, in every sense, shows the readiness of the Dapo Abiodun-led administration to give Nigerians a fiesta to remember, a tournament like no other, and a moment of magic.

Speaking during an assessment of the work done on the facilities being prepared for the festival, including the stadium, the Olympic-sized swimming pool, tennis courts, and the handball court behind the main bowl, as well as the Alake Sports Centre, all in Abeokuta, last week, Governor Abiodun hinted that they would not only be used for the upcoming festival but also other competitions, national and international.

According to Governor Abiodun, the Gateway International Stadium, which is being renovated in preparation for the NSF, has already been selected by the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) to host the U-20 Athletics competition in 2026.

The Governor said sports is big business and the Gateway State is poised to treat it as such, in line with global thinking. “That is why the newly laid tracks at the stadium, tennis court, basketball court, handball court and squash hall and the Alake Sports Centre, including the multipurpose hall, are such a beauty to behold.

“The track that we installed here has already begun to reap benefits. The African Athletics body, because of the quality of our tracks, has chosen Ogun State to host the athletics competition in 2026 for the U-20. So, you find that based on what we have done, Ogun State will now become home to other world-class competitions across the country, across Sub-Saharan Africa, and even internationally. For us, we are already excited that this investment has begun to yield dividends.

“This will be one of the legacies of our administration. Let me assure you that the stadium will only be used for sporting activities. To that extent, we have chosen to construct a pavilion somewhere behind the stadium, and that pavilion will now be used for rallies, parties, march pasts, October 1 celebrations, Labour Day celebrations, community days, and Democracy Day. “Our MKO Abiola International Stadium has now gone beyond being just an MKO Abiola International Stadium; it is now an MKO Abiola Sporting Complex,” the Governor said.

With about 15,000 people billed to attend the NSF, the Abiodun government has been busy re-engineering the entire Ogun landscape.

Among other things, the government has given the Olumo Rock Tourist Center and other adjoining tourist centres a massive facelift to give visitors an unbeatable experience as the festival goes underway.

The Governor articulates his vision: “The festival itself will allow us to host maybe 15,000 people in the city of Abeokuta. You can imagine that those people will be eating and drinking; they will be transported back and forth. They will be buying recharge cards and water. They will be visiting our tourist sites. We are getting Olumo Rock and other adjoining tourist centers ready for the games.

There will be a lot of visitors sleeping in hotels. The economic impact of this festival on the economy of this state can best be imagined; the multiplier effect will be felt more after the games.”

As an insider, the Ogun helmsman is engineering moves to make the Gateway State to get a fat slice of this year’s DettyDecember visits by Nigerians in the disapora taking advantage of the state’s proximity to Lagos.

Ahead of the NSF, Ogun State is partnering the arts and culture company, Terra Kulture, to establish a film and entertainment village in the state.

To Governor Abiodun, the film village will help the state to preserve the legacies of those who have pioneered and excelled in the fields of music, film, drama and entertainment.

Governor Abiodun made this known when he received the Chief Executive Officer of Terra Kulture, Bolanle Austen Peters, in his Oke-Mosan office in Abeokuta.

His words: “From the onset of our administration, we always wanted to have some sort of creative arts and entertainment zone, but when we assumed office, the government was laden with so many priorities.

We wanted to ensure that we first paid attention to matters that touch the lives of the people directly, because it is only when you are comfortable and happy that you will begin to think of relaxing and being entertained; we had to do that. We are confident that we have not just accomplished that; we’ve made the most of it, and our focus in the last year has been how to push the frontier in the areas of culture, music, and entertainment.”

In choosing Ogun as host of the 2025 NSF, the Federal Government took ample notice of the massive infrastructure upgrade across the state, and it is in fact no coincidence that Bukola Olopade, the man that the Ogun State government chose as the chair of the festival’s Local Organising Committee (LOC), has just been appointed as the Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC). It is certain that he will bring his wealth of experience to bear on the assignment and help Ogun make history as it hosts the NSF. The Ogun State government has created an enabling environment for business, and investors are moving into state in droves, buoyed by the deeply enhance infrastructure outlay.

A visit to the state will show that the government is indeed upgrading structures to attract tourists and give visitors a wow experience. No doubt, Ogun 2025 will expose state talents that will represent Nigeria, promote unity, and ensure brisk business for hoteliers, food entrepreneurs, dealers in clothing fabric, among others.