| The survival value of the games was evinced not only in the attributes the athletes exhibited under pressure but also in the performance wrought from the Rivers State Government. Rivers State emerged as a winner, both in the athletic competition and in the even more challenging arenas of organisation, financing and administration. The Sports Festival came to Rivers after several other states declined, ostensibly due to financial constraints. But security concerns were almost certainly a factor. Rivers, of course, also has constraints. It took on the expensive task of playing host, despite an extensive infrastructural development programmed that is straining its own coffers. Coming in the wake of Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s resounding electoral victory, the Festival is further evidence of a resurgent Rivers State. It is also a re-affirmation of the “challenge and response” hypothesis: That, in the face of adversity, nations and individuals become stronger and more adept at the art of survival. There were some hitches and hiccups here and there—the most embarrassing being a problem with the torch, during the opening ceremony. Port Harcourt’s perennial traffic pile-ups also made the movement of competitors and spectators more difficult than it might have been, had the venues been in closer proximity. Nevertheless, these glitches pale into insignificance when the magnitude and scale of the event is taken into consideration. The Festival consisted of 27 events, played out at 11 venues around the Port Harcourt metropolis. Over 12,000 athletes and 4000 officials—from 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory—were involved. As if the logistic challenge was not daunting enough, there was the haunting and horrific spectre of a security breach. But thanks, in part, to thorough planning, disciplined personnel and the cooperation of state, local and federal officials our worst fears failed to materialise. But there is another, more ethereal aspect of our success, a crucial element that is easy to over look. It is, simply, that we are resurgent. We are rising above our recent history and reaching for the higher ground. Since its inception in 1973, under Military Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, the National Sports Festival has promoted mass participation in amateur sports and provided a context for the interaction of youth with diverse backgrounds—thus fostering national unity. But in a resurgent Rivers State, the Festival acquired a new and exciting dimension. The challenge of adversity, and the will to rise above it, charged the emotions of both our 1000 competing athletes and the organisers of the event. From the vantage point of Rivers State participants, the competition was not only between athletes but also between us and our past. We needed a victory over all the negative possibilities that haunted us as much as we did a grand sweep of the medals. The fact that we achieved both has broader implications. The resurgence of Rivers State is a measure of our national resilience. Rivers State is, after all, a part of Nigeria and the Festival was a national effort. If we can rebound from the mayhem that marred our state’s image in the pre-Amaechi era, so too can other troubled regions. So too can our nation. http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/09/rivers-state-resurgent | 
