Nigeria becomes the first African country to receive the Queen’s baton relay, ahead of the Commonwealth Games slated for Birmingham, England.
The Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr. Sunday Dare, who received the baton from Nigeria Olympics President, Engineer Habu Gumel, for handing over to President Muhammadu Buhari, said preparations for the game will begin in earnest by November.
According to the minister, “preparations are already ongoing, we’ll see Nigeria intensify her preparations, beginning from November, starting in earnest, there is already a committee and all efforts are been made to get our athletes ready for this competition,” he concluded.
The British High Commissioner, represented by Mr. Wole Adebayo, said: “The Commission is very happy to take the baton to Nigeria, and looking forward to watch the event happening live in Nigeria, as a successful collaboration.”
Nigeria won 9 gold, 9 silver and 6 bronze medals to finish 9th in the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia.