Nigeria’s President Olusegun Obasango launched Abuja’s bid for the 2014 Commonwealth Games Saturday, and asked competitors Canada and Scotland to withdraw their bids so that the event could be held in Africa for the first time.
The launch was announced at an informal function on the margins of the 53-nation Commonwealth summit in Malta, reports the Australian.
Obasango said “we all want to see the Commonwealth Games hosted in Africa for the first time. For the year 2014 Nigeria is putting up a bid.
“We already have an infrastructure that can handle a Games of Commonwealth standard because it hosted the All Africa Games two years ago.”
He suggested that other cities bidding to host the Games – Glasgow and a Canadian city yet to be chosen – withdraw their bids.
“These are two cities that have put out strong bids, Abuja and Glasgow. I hope the third city, from Canada, will now not come out.
“One of the attractions for us is that 2014 is the centenary celebration of the amalgamation of Nigeria into one country”, he added.
