Tag: Niger Delta Games

State Sports Commissions and Councils of the Niger Delta Region have been invited to take advantage of the Niger Delta Games to create long-term athletes development structures rather than seeking immediate results.

At the screening of registered athletes presented by Akwa Ibom State at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, Braveman Wodi, who led a four-member screening panel, noted that one of the cardinal objectives of the Games is to discover, groom and prepare young athletes to become national champions in the future.

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“Our coaches must prioritise long-term athlete development over immediate medal ambitions, which is the overall aim of the games” Wodi advised.

Addressing journalists after the event, Wodi stated that the exercise was aimed at ensuring eligibility and providing a level playing field for all participants at the games, which he noted were organised to engender grassroots engagement, as well as to identify and promote budding talents.

Players of the Rivers state handball team have sent strong messages of warning to their opponents at the forthcoming Niger Delta Games that they will be in Benin City for the Gold medal this time.

Speaking after the conclusion of the Handball trials for Edo 2026 at the Diete-Spiff Civic Centre, Port Harcourt on Tuesday, the players that spoke were unanimous in their resolve to hit gold later this month.

It could sound unrealistic, given that their performances at the inaugural edition in Uyo last year were not up to scratch, but the players remain adamant that the experience combined with their preparations for this edition will bring them good returns.

Goalkeeper Richard Harrison led his male teammates in declaring their readiness to take Benin by storm, hinging his belief on his team’s good preparation.

 “We are very  prepared. For me, I will say it’s a 100% for us. We have been training basically, morning and evening, so the preparation is there, just to put in the team work and I think we can go for Gold,” said Harrison.

His teammate ThankGod David also echoed Harrison’s thoughts, adding that they have put in enough work in preparations that should see them come out tops when they face their regional opponents as from February 20.

 “We are very confident in our abilities as we have put in enough efforts in our trainings. So we believe that as we are heading for the competition, we, as a team are emerging victorious,” said David.

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The Rivers Handball team are aware of their poor past and ready to create a new experience.

For Godspower Idango, he said that their lacklustre performance last year has brought a renewed hunger in them ahead of this year’s competition and assures of a great outing this year.

 “We are looking forward to this year’s Games. We didn’t do well last year so my teammates and I are hungry and angry so much that we are putting in much work both in the morning and evening.

 “So, I want to assure you that we will come out victorious in Edo state.”

Lily Emmanuel is a young lady who spoke on behalf of the women’s team and she believes the team is ready and equipped to make the state proud this year.

 “I wasn’t actually proud of the experience last year but this year, we are going prepared. We are going to win, we are not coming to dull or fail. We are Team Rivers and we are going to make Rivers state proud.

 “We’ve been training from like the beginning of January intensively with consistency. We’ve been able to do endurance trainings that has given us greater strength so, the result will be different this time,” said Lily.

The Rivers state trials for Edo 2026 Niger Delta Games continued on Wednesday with Volleyball and Taekwondo taking centre stage.

Expectedly, the trials for Delta State contingent to the 2^nd  Niger Delta Games drew a huge number of athletes to Asaba, the state capital.

This year’s edition of the Games, organised by Dunamis-Icon Limited for the nine states that make up the region under the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), will hold in Benin City, Edo State from February 20 to 27.

Last year in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Team Delta was beaten to the title by Bayelsa State with the odd gold medal on the last day of competition.

This time around, Team Delta do not seem prepared to leave anything to chance.

On Wednesday, due to the large turnout of athletes, Team Delta officials decided to split the scheduled trials into two phases, with the first phase running from Friday, February 6 to February 8.

The Chairman, Delta Sports Commission, Onoriode Oborievwori, stated yesterday  that the final trials will run from February 9 to 11.

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 “After these two phases of the trials, our athletes will begin main camping for the Niger Delta Games on February 12. At the moment, we have 374 athletes and 51 officials set for these trials. Our athletes will be camped in various locations in Asaba, and they will depart for Benin City on February 19,” Oborevwori stated.

Meanwhile, the Executive Assistant to Governor Sheriff Oborevwori on Sports, Festus Ohwojero, has praised the leadership of Delta Sports Commission for the various steps taken, particularly on welfare of athletes and officials ahead of the Games.

Ohwojero, who is the immediate past Director General of Delta Sports Commission, said he is optimistic of Team Delta topping the medals table at the end of the Games in Benin City on February 27.

Among the sports expected to feature in Team Delta’s trials include athletics, chess, table tennis, tennis, scrabble, handball, wrestling, football, volleyball, swimming, taekwondo, powerlifting, basketball, boxing and weightlifting.

Over 3000 athletes and 500 officials will participate in this year’s 2^nd  Niger Delta Games.

Four-time Rivers State Sports Commissioner, Barr. Chris Green leads a seven-member Local Organizing Committee (LOC) set up to oversee the affairs of the Rivers State contingent to the  2026 Niger Delta Games (Edo 2026).

The other members of the committee are Professor Ken Anugweje, Emma Ndah, Awele Salubi, Obia Inyengiyikabo and Emmanuel Jaja, who will serve as the secretary of the LOC.

Veteran sports journalist,  Sammy Wejinya, was appointed as Media head/Director of Communications of the LOC.

Speaking after the inauguration, Chairman of the LOC, Barr. Chris Green charged other members of the committee to bring their wealth of experience to bear in ensuring that ‘Team Rivers’, the Rivers State contingent to the games win laurels and conduct themselves creditably in Edo State.

“Only the best in their respective fields have been selected to serve in the LOC and I want to use this avenue to charge all the appointed members to bring their wealth of experience to bear as we open yet another vista in the chapter of Sports in Rivers State,” he said.

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The 2026 Niger Delta Games (Edo 2026), sponsored by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), will take place in Benin City, Edo State, from February 20^th  to 27^th .

The games will feature 17 different sports held at the Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City and other locations

Rivers LOC Members f or Edo 2026

Barr. Chris Green (Chairman)

Prof. Ken Anugweje (Member)

Comrade Emma Ndah (Member)

Obia Iyengiyikabo (Member)

Awele Salubi (Member)

Emmanuel Jaja (Secretary)

Sammy Wejinya (Media Head/Director of Communications)

Ahead of the  2^nd Niger Delta  Games  to be hosted in Benin, Rivers State ‘s athletes selection would be concluded on Saturday, February 7 when the football contingent would be picked.

The trials began yesterday  February 2 in Chess, Table Tennis, Tennis, Scrabble and would continue tomorrow, February 3, for athletes seeking a place in the squads for Handball and Wrestling.

It would be turn  of Volleyball, Taekwondo on Wednesday, February 4, with swimming and Powerlifting trials coming  up on Thursday while Friday is for Basketball, Boxing and Weightlifting

The trials are aimed at selecting athletes who will represent Team Rivers across all 16 sporting events approved by the organisers of the Niger Delta Games.

Athletics trials have already been concluded, while this final phase of state trials will continue in the coming days before the full camping of selected athletes ahead of Edo 2026.

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The Niger Delta Games is organised by Dunamis-Icon for the nine states that make up the region that are members of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

Members of the State Liaison Committee say they are impressed with the athletes’ impressive form, commitment, and competitive edge, believing that Rivers State would likely record an improved outing at the regional sports festival.

The Rivers State Director of Sports, Mrs Ibia Inyengiyikabo, confirmed that athletes from the state are fully prepared for the forthcoming Games.

 “We have seen athletes who can do even better in the future and with consistent training, we are optimistic about winning medals,” she said in Port Harcourt, praising  the athletes’ commitment, energy, and zeal to represent the state.

The Niger Delta Games finals will hold in Benin City, Edo State between  February 20 and 27. Over 3000 athletes and 500 officials would participate in the fiesta.

Niger Delta region states are on the very end part of their preparations as they get set to move into camp before departing  to Benin for the for the 2^nd  Niger Delta Games.

From Port Harcourt to Yenagoa and to Calabar up to Akure, Owerri, Umuahia, Asaba and Benin, athletes and coaches have been working their socks with eyes on medals.

In Uyo where the Athletics event trials comes up at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium today, over 100 athletes will compete to earn a place in the state contingent. The trials will have morning and afternoon sessions for events in the 100m sprints, 400m, 800m and the relay and mixed relay races.

The morning session will begin at 9 a.m. with the women’s 5,000m final and men’s shot-put final, followed by the 100m heats for both men and women, field events, and finals in the 400m, 1,500m, hurdles, jumps and throws. The session will run through to 1:15pm, promising non-stop action on the track and in the field.

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The afternoon session will commence at 3 p.m. and will feature finals of javelin, discus, long jump, 200m, 800m, high jump and the men’s 5,000m, which will close the day’s programme at 6 p.m.

Elsewhere, kokowa will take place at Uyo Township Stadium at 11 a.m. and with the Olympic-size swimming pool currently undergoing maintenance, swimming has been scheduled for UltraFit Nigeria Limited, Ewet Housing Estate, Uyo, for the same time.

Impressive turnouts of fans have been recorded on previous days of the trials and more members of the public are expected to turn up at the venues and cheer the athletes.

The Niger Delta Games, sponsored by the Niger Delta Development Commission and organized by Dunamis-Icon Limited, are scheduled for Edo State  between February 20 and 27, with all nine states of the region expected to participate.

Athletes from Rivers State have spoken excitedly about opportunities and potentials for a brighter future inherent in the Niger Delta Games (NDG)

Some of these athletes who will participate in athletics, basketball, table tennis and others have taken to their social media accounts promoting the games and speaking of their expectations.

The Rivers State basketball players, seen training for the second edition of the NDG coming up in Benin, Edo State, said they are excited at the prospect of defending the gold medal won in the event at the last edition of the NDG in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

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At the Basketball Court on Niger/ Bende Streets in Port Harcourt township, the players said they have been training hard to ensure that they defend their title.

Dalhati Wealth expressed confidence that his team will emerge victorious as they are learning new techniques and tactics to ensure victory.

 “As you can see every player is putting in good effort to be mentally and physically fit, including learning new tactics to be ready and maintain the level that saw us go all the way at the last Games.

” We started our preparation early because we want to achieve success at the end of the day. You know that if you don’t train and do not prepare early, you can’t perform when the chips are down,” Wealth said.

He used the opportunity to commend the Niger Delta Development Commission ( NDDC) for initiating the sports programme with the vision to develop, empower and provide and enduring platform for youths in the region.

”This competition will no doubt discover talents in the region, and it will equally expose us to both local and foreign scouts because you can never tell.

 “You know we only have one Youth Games every year but this has added to the calendar towards sports development and the engagement of young people, especially, at the grassroots level” he stated.

A very young looking Kelvin Harrison was seen in a promotional social media post boasting that his team would win gold for Rivers State.

“Hello Rivers people, my name is Kelvin Harrison, a handballer for Rivers State. I’ll be joining over 3000 other athletes participating in the 2nd Niger Delta Games in Benin, Edo State from February 20-27. I am so excited and can’t wait to be there. See you there as I go for gold”, Harrison said in the viral video.

Ebenezer Obas, added drama and fun when he rallied other basketball players on their training ground to add a psychological war dimension in a video. After introducing himself and speaking of their determination to retain the gold medal from the last edition, he invited others who stood behind him as they chorused “let’s go Rivers” as they broke into an opponent daring chant.

Also speaking, another athlete, Hector Tobogu also commended NDDC for the initiative, saying that the tournament has discovered hidden talents in the area.

 “This competition has helped many youths develop interest in different sporting activities and is another way to showcase talents. As an athlete if you don’t compete in tournaments or competitions, you will not know your strength and improvement would be very difficult,” Tobogu said.

Organisers of the Niger Delta Games say the competition will continue to be an integral part of the sporting calendar of the National Sports Commission for the overall objective to change the trajectory of  the grassroots sports development in Nigeria.

Malik Ikpokpo (KSM), Chairman of Dunamis Icon , organisers of the Niger Delta Games, said as much  during a courtesy visit to the Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC) Hon. Bukola Olopade.

Ikpokpo said his visit to the NSC  was to formally brief the Director General on the preparations towards the successful staging of the games this year in Edo state.

He stated that the successful organisation of the first edition of the games last year in Akwa Ibom state was largely due to the strategic support of the NSC under the leadership of Mallam Shehu  and Hon Bukola Olopade.

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” We are very excited at the Niger Delta games that we have a very cordial relationship with the NSC and they have been very supportive in providing us with every form of technical and logistic assistance.

” This is why I am here to let the DG know our level of preparation as regards what our sponsor, NDDC are doing and how far we have gone with our host, Edo state, in their readiness to welcome the entire nine Niger Delta states.”

He added that the Niger Delta Games is not just another competition but a sustainable breeding ground to discover and nurture Nigeria’s future talents.

” The Niger Delta games align perfectly with the new vision of the NSC to have a vibrant and sustainable sports economy that works through organisation of regular domestic competitions of international standard”, he concluded.

The 2026 Niger Delta games is scheduled to hold  between  February 20^th  and  26^th  in Edo state.

Chiedu Ebie, Chairman of the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), has spoken of a future where talents discovered at the Niger Delta Games would be representing the country at international sporting events such as the Olympics, Commonwealth Games and the All Africa Games.

Ebie made a brief stop organised by Dunamis-Icon Limited for key persons involved in the organisation of the 2^nd  Niger Delta Games and endorsed the idea of holding sessions to review and project forward plans for a successful Games.

“The Board of the NDDC, we want to make the Games our legacy project, such that there will come a time in the future when we can have athletes from the Niger Delta Games representing Nigeria at international events such as the Olympics”, Ebie told the audience comprising of some members of the Main Organising Committee and the Local Organising Committee.

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Commending the leadership of Dunamis-Icon Limited, Ebie, who is a former Secretary to the Delta State Government, noted :”When you want to institutionalise an event such as the Games, you have to hold such reviews to ensure that gaps are closed.”.

In his welcome address to the NDDC Chairman, Sir Itiako Ikpokpo, KSM, the Managing Consultant at Dunamis-Icon explained that the retreat was the second to be organised to review the past Games in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State and correct mistakes and improve on the performance.

“We are working to connect the dots, ask ourselves hard questions and see how we will organise a richer Games”, Ikpokpo said.

Also present at the event was the Edo State Sports Commission Chairman, Hon Desmond Amadin Enabulele, who reiterated the state’s commitment to supporting the organisers to stage a memorable second edition.

The 2^nd  edition of the games will be held between  February 20 and 27 for the nine states that make up the region.

Seeking to improve on their performance at the maiden edition of the Niger Delta Games (NDG),  the Ondo State Liaison Committee has challenged coaches of the 17 sports to ensure that only the very best athletes are presented to represent the state.

The 2^nd  Niger Delta Games will be held in Benin, Edo State from February 20-27. Sponsored by the Niger Delta Development Commission, the Games is organised by Dunamis-Icon Limited.

Secretary of the Committee, Henry Babatunde, issued the charge during an interface with the coaches at Ondo State Sports Complex, Akure.

Babatunde urged the coaches to intensify their trainings ahead of the trials to improve the competitive strength of the athletes when they represent the State.

The secretary also commended the coaches for registering their athletes in good numbers.

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“We should intensify training, even though trials have not commenced. The athletes that will attend the trials must be prepared for the task ahead, “he said.

He urged the coaches to ensure that they do a thorough job and eschew favouritism in the selection process.

A member of the Committee, Akintunde Akinsemola tasked the coaches to take advantage of the availability of medical team to ascertain the state of health of the athletes.

“Get the medical team to do a simple health check of your athletes from the day they enter camp till they depart for Benin. Be vigilant and revert to our doctors if you detect any anomaly”.

He equally urged the coaches to ensure that their athletes are handy with their NIN and other relevant documents for the screening coming up before the competition.

The new General Manager, Ondo State Sports Council Mrs Evelyn Lebi, who is also a member of the committee, promised that all the points raised would be strictly monitored for a remarkable showing at the Games.

She thanked the handlers for ensuring that the responses within the registration time frame were satisfactory.