After winning 23 gold, 14 silver, and nine bronze medals, Federal Polytechnic Ado-Ekiti took first place overall in the 21st Nigeria Polytechnic Games Association (NIPOGA) competition on Sunday in Owo.
With 13 gold, 22 silver, and 17 bronze medals, Lagos State Polytechnic placed second, and The Polytechnic of Ibadan took third with 10 gold, one silver, and eleven bronze.
The local organizing committee (LOC) for the tournament did a fantastic job, according to Rotimi Akeredolu, the governor of Ondo State, who proclaimed the competition ended on Sunday in Owo.
Bamidele Ologun, the Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, speaking on behalf of Akeredolu, complimented the Rufus Giwa Polytechnic Owo (RUGIPO) administration on the successful staging of the games.
He took the opportunity to urge the following hosts to start making preparations right away.
“The following hosts shouldn’t put off starting their preparations until a few days before the games. The governor advised them to stay away from the fire brigade strategy.
The NIPOGA Council’s President and RUGIPO Rector, Gani Ogundahunsi, commended God for the 21st NIPOGA’s successful hosting.
He expressed his gratitude to the governor for his support and attention, both of which contributed to the games’ successful hosting.
Ogundahunsi continued by saying that the LOC persevered from the start of the games until the very end thanks to tenacity, diligence, and careful planning.
The ultimate goal is to host a tournament that upholds the reputation of our institution and the state as a whole. We didn’t let anything get in the way of our focus.
Because they would have learned a lot from us, he added, “I expect the next hosts, Delta State Polytechnic in Ogwuashi-Uku, to do better than what we did.”
After collecting the NIPOGA flag as the 22nd edition of the games’ hosts, Prof. Emmanuel Achuenu, rector of Delta State Polytechnic, stated that their goal was to outperform RUGIPO.
Without a doubt, RUGIPO did a great job, but he added, “We’re going to make sure we outdo them by organizing a greater game in 2025.”
Since the dates are known, Achuenu commanded all NIPOGA institutions and athletes to begin preparing for the next games.
In the meantime, the Rufus Giwa Polytechnic women’s football team won the competition’s championship game 3-2 over its rivals from Yaba College of Technology.
In addition, Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa defeated Federal Polytechnic Ede 3-1 in the male football competition following a scoreless tie in regulation time.