Sports
5,000 Security Personnel For 5th Lagos City Marathon – Consultant
Retired Commodore Omatseye Nesiama, the Security Consultant for the 5th Access Bank Lagos City Marathon has said that no fewer than 5,000 security personnel will be deployed for the race.
Nesiama told newsmen on Monday in Lagos that the security personnel would cover intelligence and security aspects of the marathon scheduled for February 8 in Lagos.
“Over 5,000 security personnel have been designated for intelligence and security coverage of the marathon.
“To ensure orderliness, especially, during and after the event, we have put in place the process of mass communication to ensure that every legal means is utilised.
“This is to alert participants, spectators and to see that members of the immediate communities where the sprinters will race through are all kept in the picture”, he said.
The consultant said that another significant innovation that would be introduced into this year’s edition would be a communication system with better cohesion.
“With a robust communication system in place, we hope to have a better cohesion as the security agencies will be fully onboard.
“This is because the security team for the marathon had carried out a detailed assessment of every area that is connected to this event.
“The security agencies, both armed and unarmed, had been briefed on different but related scenarios where their personnel will be involved,” he said.
Nesiama said that an Emergency Response Training (ERT) venue had been set up.
He said that from there, the planned Command, Control and Communications setup to be deployed for the marathon would be tested to ensure efficiency.
He also said that the organisers had put measures in place to identify un-accredited athletes, saying that they would be disqualified if caught.
“We want to advise and encourage all accredited sprinters that will be participating in the race to be at the established screening points before the start of both the 42km and 10km races.
“There are measures already designed to identify those that will not go through screening. Such runners will be removed from the race once detected.
“Alternatively, their results will make no meaning, if for whatever reason, they are able to finish the race,” he said.
The championship will run from today to October 12 at the International Conference Centre, Umuahia. On the ground for the championship are athletes from Brazil, Peru, Egypt, Cameroon, Tunisia, Nigeria, Mauritius and Rwanda. They arrived on Sunday.
Some of the other countries were expected in the Abia State capital yesterday. Speaking on the championship, yesterday, Abia State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Nwobilor Ananaba, said the chief host, Governor Alex Otti, has mobilised facilities and the personnel to ensure a successful event.
Speaking through the Special Assistant to the Governor on Sports, Raymond Chima Ukwa, said: “We have the best mats, playing mats, especially the wheelchair playing mats, which is the first of its kind in West Africa.
“If you go around, you’ll see the hall and the preparation that has been made to ensure that people have an equitable world-class playing field.” Thrilled by Governor Otti’s support for the competition, Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) President, Francis Orbih, said that, besides making all the necessary arrangements that will ensure a successful hosting of the events, “we will have a Para-Badminton workshop for coaches and players.
“Nigeria is doing well, Abia is doing well, and we want to do better to improve on where we are, which is why all these have been put together by Governor Otti.”
Nigeria’s Flying Eagles began their campaign at the 24th FIFA U20 World Cup with a narrow 1–0 loss to Norway on Monday, despite creating several opportunities to level the game.
Norway took the lead in the 9th minute after being awarded a controversial penalty. The Flying Eagles pressed for an equaliser but were denied two penalty claims in the second half.
Kparobo Arierhi came close in the 47th minute when his shot drifted wide with the goalkeeper beaten, while Tahir Maigana struck the upright in the 63rd minute.
Nasiru Salihu’s rising effort in the 71st minute also went narrowly over the bar, drawing gasps from the crowd.
Seven minutes from time, Maigana again tested Norway with a long-range strike that went just wide as Nigeria continued to pile on the pressure.
Despite their dominance, the Flying Eagles could not find the breakthrough and now turn their attention to Thursday’s clash against Saudi Arabia in their second group match.
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