NUGA: Arrivals, Fun, Fun, Fun.

The 12th of February 2014 started like every other day at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife except that there was something special in the air, Nigerian University Games, NUGA. Taking a trip to the sports complex of the school as early as 7:00am, one would find several members of TeamOAU carrying out their daily rigorous routines in preparation for the games. Footballers took the peach, athletes ran their races, fighters aimed their kicks and every other one to his/her own kind.
In the midst of all this were also present various security and para-security teams in their different shades and colours. From the Nigerian police force to the Federal Road Safety Commission, Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps, and Man “O” War were all available to light up the environment.
As time went on, the show of the day began as sporting delegates from various universities across the country began to make their marks on the land-scape of Ile-Ife and ultimately, OAU. Among the first arrivals of the day were delegates from Benson Idahosa University, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Kwara State University and Niger Delta University University. At the university sports complex where every delegate team arrived before they were allocated to places of rest, the home students threw the environmental mood into an ecstatic jesting with the popular tradition called ‘aro’. All visiting students were made to feel at home among fellow students, dispelling every fear of intimidation whatsoever. An additional spice was given to the round of events with the sudden entry of the university vice chancellor, Prof Bamitale Omole, into the arena. He was met by a crowd of his jubilant students who hailed and cheered him almost to a point of embarrassment.
After the student-oriented welcome displays and delegates had been allocated places for accommodation, then began another phase of the night. It appeared that management of the host university was not fully prepared for the large turn-out of guests which they were receiving as there later generated confusion with respect to where and how certain delegates would be lodged. As at the time of writing this report, lots of delegates are sleeping at the Adekunle Fajuyi (Faj) hall café on the pretext that they arrived late into the night and that their accommodation issues would be resolved in the morning.
It is however noteworthy to state the following: 1. That lots of mattresses were purchased by the university management for the comfort of delegates (some of which are been used at Faj café). 2. That there was a slight drama early in the afternoon when delegates from Benson Idahosa Universuty tried to gain access into Obafemi Awolowo (Awo) hall. The delegation was repelled by “Awoites” as a result of the disagreement they had with the university management the previous day over a failed attempt at forceful eviction from the hall of residence with the aid of armed mobile policemen.
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