The Enugu State government has announced the composition of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the 2026 National Sports Festival, also known as the Coal City Games. Ekweremadu, the state's Commissioner of Sports, will lead the LOC, which includes notable members such as former international athletes Mary Onyali, Victor Okorie, and Davidson Owumi. Other members of the LOC include Akuchukwu Aghazu, Blessing Chisalam Ekwe, Tony Ugwu, Jonathan Nnaji, Boniface Onovo, Ephraim Ochonma, Obiora Obasi, Henry Chinedu Okorie, and Bamiduro Olumide.
The LOC has proposed several sub-committees to oversee the organisation of the festival. These include the Games Village Management Committee, which will be headed by Ekweremadu, with Bamiduro serving as secretary. Other members of this committee include Davidson Owumi, Dr Ademola Are, Boniface Onovo, Miriam Aniekwe, and Obiora Obasi. The Accommodation Sub-Committee will be chaired by Obiora Obasi, with Henry Okorie as deputy chairman and Obinna Chukwu as secretary.
The Catering Sub-Committee will be chaired by Ekweremadu, with Bamiduro as deputy chairman and Nancy Nwoha as secretary. Nkiru Udunaga will serve as assistant secretary, alongside other members. The Media and Communication Sub-Committee will be chaired by the Enugu State Commissioner for Information, with Gideon Iwueke, Chairman of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), as deputy chairman.
The Media and Communication Sub-Committee will coordinate publicity, media access, information dissemination, and communication activities before and during the Games. Uche Anichukwu, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media, will serve as secretary, while other members include Dan Nwomeh, Foster Ejikeme Chime, Dan Onwuegbuna, Frankie Omokhua, Osondu Ngwude, Nneka Anibueze, Ndubueze Chidoka, Felicia Nwokorie, Solomon Unya, and Brian Okechukwu.
The LOC has also constituted sub-committees for security, protocol, ceremonial arrangements, transport, venue and facilities, finance, marketing and sponsorship, volunteers, mobilisation, tourism and festival experience, medical services, technical operations, and the Games Secretariat. The Security Sub-Committee will be chaired by the Commissioner of Police, with Raymond Ugwu, Chairman of the House Committee on Youths, Sports and Security, as deputy chairman.
The 2026 National Sports Festival is scheduled to take place from November 27 to December 11. The various committees are expected to work within their respective mandates to ensure that preparations remain coordinated ahead of the opening of the Games. The festival will feature athletes, officials, spectators, and other participants, and the LOC is working to ensure a successful and well-coordinated event.
Key committees and their chairmen have been set up to ensure a successful festival. Three key points have emerged: the LOC is working to ensure a coordinated security framework for the festival; Ekweremadu will lead the LOC and several sub-committees; and the festival will take place from November 27 to December 11.
Key points
- The LOC has constituted several sub-committees to oversee the organisation of the festival.
- Ekweremadu will lead the LOC and several sub-committees.
- The festival is scheduled to take place from November 27 to December 11.
