By Inioluwa David
Sir Itiako Ikpokpo (KSM), Managing Director of Dunamis Icon Limited and Managing Consultant of the Niger Delta Games(NDG), has announced sweeping reforms aimed at strengthening integrity, talent development and fairness ahead of the second edition of the regional event to be held next February in Edo State
Speaking during a press conference yesterday in Lagos, Ikpokpo who doubles as the co-chairman of Edo 2026 event, said the NDG under the patronage of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), remains a vital platform for discovering young athletes, adding unfair practices such as age cheating, athlete poaching and the use of mercenaries which had long undermined sports development in Nigeria would not be condoned at the regional festival.
He stated that many of the challenges facing sports development stem from states prioritizing medals over true grassroots growth.
According to him, every state wants to win at all costs, creating an environment where coaches and officials constantly poach athletes from one state to another in search of better medal prospects.
He said the NDG organisers are building a new culture that demands honesty, responsibility and fair competition from all participating states.
“The maximum eligible age has been reduced from 25 to 20, and states have been warned that the screening process will be stricter than ever,” Ikpokpo said, adding an athlete must be 19-plus but not older than 20 at the time of the festival.
He continued:“ Registration will be done through the DIAR system, with personal details fully uploaded for verification. The screening committee, led by senior officials described as people of strong integrity, will ensure that any state presenting over-aged athletes is sanctioned, including possible exclusion from future editions, though no financial penalties will be issued.
“To curb dominance and ensure fairness, each of the competing states will be allowed the same number of 270 athletes and they will also have the same number of athletes per events for fairness.”
He stressed that every state has home-grown talents and must take responsibility for developing them instead of depending on athletes from other regions, noting the NDG belongs to every state in the region and their role as organisers, is only to provide a platform for healthy competition but not to “own” athletes.
Ahead of next NDG in Edo State, Ikpokpo said preparations are already underway with preliminary inspections of facilities , noting that the welfare and accommodation of athletes remain top priorities. “The University of Benin will be in session in February at the time of the next NDG but alternative accommodation venues are being considered to ensure athletes are treated with respect and housed comfortably,” he noted.
On the gains of the NDG after the hugely successful inaugural edition, Ikpokpo stressed that sports administrators must be intentional in planning, saying that Nigeria cannot continue to rely on “accidental winners.”
He stated that the NDG would compete favourably with international events in terms of organization and standard and maintaining this level, he said, requires deliberate effort, strong structures and proper budgeting.
Speaking on the future of the NDG , Ikpokpo said organisers in conjunction with the NDDC, will do what is necessary to sustain the momentum , explaining that discovered talents would be exposed to the best practices in terms of training and grooming.
“ In the last edition in Uyo , over 600 potential young athletes were identified out of which 150 were selected based on performance criteria,” he continued.
“The High Performance Centre in Port Harcourt, although not at the ideal standard, has been earmarked as a training hub, especially for holiday and pre-competition camps.”
At the well-attended press briefing in Lagos with Ikpokpo were members of the NDG teams including Fred Edoreh, the Project Director, Harry Iwuala, the Chairman of Communications and publicity, Edi Lawani, the Chairman of Culture and Entertainment, Godwin Enakhena, the Chairman of the Scouting team and Onome Obruthe, Chairman of the Accommodation and Logistics
