Nigerians have been urged to turn up in numbers this weekend for this year’s Olympic Day Run despite strike action being planned by the labour unions.
Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) spokesman Tony Nezianya appealed to Nigerians not to allow the impending strike action affect the Olympic Day Run. He said the annual event had been held over the years without being affected by political problems.
Nigerian unions have started an indefinite general strike in Africa’s top oil produced to protest against rising prices and privatizations, according to the two umbrella union bodies.
The Nigeria Labour Congress, (NLC) and Trade Union Congress called the strike after a deadline passed on an ultimatum to the government to reverse a fuel price increase, a doubling of value-added tax and the sale of two big oil refineries, reports the The Star.
Abdulwahed Omar, NLC president said, “all offices, ports, banks, petrol stations and business premises will be shut down. All schools, airports, official and semi-official business premises will be closed”.
Nezianya urged all Nigerians to “respect this international solidarity and come out in large numbers on Saturday to be part of movement for world peace through sports”.
Public Relations Officer of Sports For All, Abdulkareem Macauley, said governors of the 36 states of the federation and Abuja have been contacted to flag off the Olympic Day Run simultaneously in their domains.
Meanwhile delegations from some of the Commonwealth Games Associations (CGA) began a visit to Abuja Tuesday until Friday, meeting with sports and Abuja city officials, reports allAfrica.com.
The delegations from the CGA’s of Belize, Bermuda and Barbados are visiting the city as part of Abuja’s 2014 Commonwealth Games bid.
The formal part of the visit began with an interactive session with the media, and continues with courtesy calls, before a tour of the city’s facilities begin.
Territory Administration (FCTA), Malam Sani Alhassan said, “the tour of facilities will begin Wednesday with the visit to the Package B of Abuja National Stadium Complex, the National Institute for Sports, and the old Games Village.
“Other facilities to be visited same day are the proposed new games village site at Guosa and the officials and media villages. Thursday will see the officials at the stadium’s Package A, the sports complex at Maitama, Old Parade Ground and the International Conference Centre at Area 10”. The day will end with a guided tour of the FCT, a press conference and a farewell dinner.
Under Commonwealth Games Federation guidelines officials from member nations should have the opportunity to see first hand the facilities proposed by cities bidding for the Commonwealth Games.
