By Our Correspondent

Baring increasing cases of the ravaging coronavirus in the country, the Federal Government has expressed optimism in hosting the National Sports Festival, NSF, this year, Bestchoicesports.com.ng can report

The minister of youth and sports development, Sunday Dare made the disclosure in a monitored radio programme in Lagos.

The minister also said that the National Council on Sports will meet later in May to draw up plans and take a decision on whether the Edo 2020 festival would hold or not.

Edo State was scheduled to host the festival from March 20 to April 1st 2020 but following the outbreak of the ravaging coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, the festival was indefinitely postponed less than a week to opening ceremony.

Dare, while reacting to question of the possibility of hosting the festival this year said that the ministry will make the decision public at the end of this month after due consultations with relevant authorities on the COVID-19 pandemic

He expressed government’s desire to hold the Festival this year but not until the Council comes up with their findings and decisions.

“You know, if you ask me what is going to happen tomorrow or next week, you know its almost impossible because we live in a world full of uncertainty . Our desire is to hold the Games this year.

“It is Nigeria Olympics involving 36 states holding every two years but then we must live in the reality of Covid19 pandemic. May be when things are coming back to normal in January then we shall see what happen. Every country situation is different, so we are monitoring. We need to look at covid 19 situation in Edo state whether it has been flatten. Do they have the health infrastructure?” He asked rhetorically.

“The National Council on Sports will look at situation surrounding it and i think at the end of this month. We are going to have a clear picture of what going to what will happen.”

The National Sports Festival is a biennial multi-sports event organized by the federal government of Nigeria through the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development for athletes from the 36 States of the country including the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.

The first edition started in 1973 at the National Stadium, Surulere in Lagos , the game was originally conceived as a “unifying tool” with the main purpose of promoting peace and cross-cultural affiliation in Nigeria after the Nigerian but has however produced many superstars some of whom have helped Nigerian to podium performance in international competitions.

The last edition was held in Abuja where Delta state emerged overall best