The 2013 edition of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC)'s annual sports festival kicks off on monday, February 4th at the Area 10 Old Parade Ground, Abuja. The game which is being bankroll by the Fidelity Bank Nigeria Plc will feature 18 states that emerged winners of the 2012 zonal elimination compete for honour in six events and it will be declare open by the minister of the FCT, Bala Muhammed. The events are football, volleyball, 100m (male), 100m (female), 4x100m (male) and 4x100m (female).

Briefing newsmen yesterday ahead of the game, director general of the NYSC, Brigadier General Nnamdi Okore-Affia, represented by Abdulwahab Obomeile said the NYSC annual sports festival which started 27 years ago as Director's Cup has been sustained as a platform for corps members drawn from different states of service to interact, share ideas and further expand the frontiers of friendship and unity among themselves and as well as provide an avenue for the discovery of talents.

He commended the Fidelity Bank Nigeria Plc for sponsoring the 2013 edition of the game, noting that their efforts will go a long way expand the scope of the championship and provides the youths opportunity to discover their talents. "Fidelity Bank has a passion for the youths and the future belongs to the youths.

Their efforts in sponsoring this competition will go a long way add more help to what we are doing at the NYSC in preparing youths for the responsibility of leadership in the future. We implore other financial institutions to emulate Fidelity Bank and support the NYSC scheme in organising the event," he said.

Fidelity Bank Managing Director, Reginald Ihejiahi, who was represented by Muhammed Balarabi, described NYSC scheme as one of the most successful programmes of the Federal Government.