Delta State Government has approved the sum of N456 million to reward the winning state team at the National Sports Festival, tagged, “Edo 2020”.

The State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, who disclosed this to newsmen in Asaba, said this is part of the decisions reached at State Executive Council (EXCO) meeting held on Tuesday in Government House.

He said though times a hard, the government decided to fulfil the promise made to the athletes because of the honour they brought to the state and to encourage them to do more.

According to Aniagwu, before the athletes proceeded to Edo 2020, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, just like he did in 2019 in Abuja, promised that each medal will attract some prize.

“As we speak, because of that promise, the athletes repeated the same feat and the governor approved funds to be paid and that is going to cost us about N456 million to settle that,” Aniagwu said.

Aniagwu, who was in company of his counterparts in Higher Education, Prof. Patrick Muoboghare, and Prince Emmanuel Amgbaduba of the Oil and Gas Ministry, said government also approved N600 million counterpart funds to attract funds from the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) programmes for 2020 project cycle.

He said that modalities have been put in place to ensure proper allocation of the Aboh-Ogwashi Agro-Indusrial Park to investors through a public private partnership arrangement for effective active take-off of the project.

He said that government also approved the construction of a General Hospital at Ute-Okpu in Ika North East Local Government Area of the state to enable the people of the community and environs enjoy the contributory Health Insurance Scheme without hitches.