HOST of the Nigeria Private Universities Games, tagged Oghara 2011, Western Delta University (WDU), kicked off its campaign on a flying note as the fourth edition kicked off yesterday in Oghara, Delta State.After a colourful opening ceremony at the Oghara Township Stadium, at which Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan charged the participating students to compete fairly, WDU went into action, beating Bishop Idahosa University (BIU) 2-0 in the opening football event.Goals from Tuoyo Inonene in the 24th minute and Duke Adiji in the 47th minute were all WDU needed to silence its opponent. However, it was not the same for WDU in the tennis even, as its players met a blank wall in their opponents from Joseph Ayo Babalola University (JABU), losing in two strength sets.Eleven universities are taking part in this year's edition of the Games, as the American University of Nigeria, Yola, had not been able to register its presence as at yesterday.Meanwhile, Governor Uduaghan has urged the students to shun any form of violence throughout the duration of the competition. The governor, who was represented by the Chairman of Deta State Sports Commission, Amaju Pinnick, said that fair play, not violence, should be the watchword for both athletes and officials throughout the tourney.In another development, the Vice-Chancellor of WDU, Prof. Peter Hugbo, said yesterday that they were not hosting to win, rather: 'We just want to show to others that you don't need to be 10 years or more to host a befitting Games. As you are aware, this university is new. It was established in 2008, but we enjoy standard facilities good enough to host such a big event.'Again, this is our second outing in the Games. We came fifth in our first appearance two years ago in Yola. If we come top at the end, we will appreciate it, but sincerely speaking, we are not hosting to win.'The host institution has a contingent of 92 athletes and officials. The swimming event takes place at the University of Benin Swimming Pool in Benin City, a distance of less than 20 minutes drive.The first edition of the NPUGA Game was held in December 2005 with only five institutions in attendance. The second edition was held in 2007 with 10 universities, while the same number of universities attended the third edition two years ago in Yola.
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