Benue State was noticeably missing during the opening ceremony of the National Sports Festival, tagged Gateway Games 2025, currently ongoing in Ogun State.
The official commencement of the festival on May 18 featured a colourful parade of contingents from various states across Nigeria.
However, Benue State’s absence during the march-past raised eyebrows, as they were the only state not represented on the field at the time.
Investigations revealed that, as of the opening day, Benue had not registered any contingent for the competition.
Efforts to get a response from the Benue State Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Hon. Terkimbi Ikyange, were unsuccessful, as calls and messages to his phone were not returned at the time this report was compiled.
Providing some clarity on the matter, Emmanuel Agye, Secretary of the Benue Wrestling Association, confirmed the state’s eventual arrival.
“We are here already. Benue is here,” he stated.
“We arrived late due to some hurdles on the way, but we are present now and ready to participate.”
