By Ikenna Nwokedi
Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka have emerged as the overall winners of the 20th edition of the South East University Games (SEUGA) .
The games which was held from Wednesday, 24th to Tuesday, 30th January 2024 saw the institution topping the medals’ table with a total of 35 medals comprising of 19 Gold, 9 Silver and 7 Bronze medals according to a release made available to the media by the SEUGA LOC Technical Committee.
At a colourful medal’s presentation ceremony held on Monday, 29th January 2024 at the UNIZIK Mini Stadium, UNIZIK Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Charles Esimone, FAS informed that hosting of the Games was an avenue to rekindle the sports participation, performance and activity by both student-athletes and staff of the institution as well as to showcase the institution as a citadel of learning that also promote sports culture and recreational activities.
Prof. Esimone thanked all the Vice-Chancellors of the 10 participating institutions for giving the nod for their students and staff to be part of the historic games.
Esimone also revealed that events such as Combat Sports and Track/Field which were not part of the just concluded SEUGA Games will be held in May 2024 as part of the invitational tournament to officially launch the tartan tracks of the UNIZIK Mini Stadium.
On his part, the Chairman of SEUGA and Director of Sports, Abia State University Uturu, Dr. Felix Obiukwu thanked Prof. Esimone for ensuring that the institution hosted the 20th edition of games during his tenure. He emphasized that SEUGA have come to stay while calling on other institution’s Vice-Chancellor to be part of the games.
Federal University of Technology (FUTO) Owerri came second on the medals’ table with 20 medals comprising of 7 Gold, 10 Silver and 3 Bronze medals while the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) came third on the log with 19 medals comprising of 5 Gold, 9 Silver and 5 Bronze medals.
Other institutions that featured at the games were Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu Alike Ikwo (AE-FUNAI), Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Imo State University (IMSU) Owerri, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike (MOUAU), Spiritan University, Nneochi and Paul University Awka.
Highlights of the day was the final of the female football event which saw UNIZIK Ladies beating their UNN counterparts by two goals to nil as well as medals presentation to the winning student-athletes.
Pix by Chigozie Chukwuleta
With this beautiful medals, NAU should start to shop for investors or collaborators to build a befitting beautiful stadium of international standards which may be yielding huge igr for the university.