Tag: Niger Delta Sports Festival

The Niger Delta Sports Festival torch began its tour of the participating nine states in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State where the Festival Torch lighting was cheered on by a throng of enthusiastic athletes, sports administrators, government officials and the general public.

The ceremonial festival ritual took place at the Samson Siasia Stadium where the State Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo was presented the Torch by the State Commissioner for Sports, Hon. Daniel Igali who had received from the State Director of Sports, Sir Braveman Wodi.

Ewhrudjakpo in his brief remarks at the ceremony said the state would excel at the festival which holds in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State between  April 1amd 8.

“Bayelsa state is very ready and will be among the three states to mount the podium at the end of the games,” the state’s second citizen told the moderate crowd.

It was the Director of Sports and Vice Chairman Bayelsa State Committee, Sir Wodi, who lighted the torch at the stadium entrance in company of the committee members, coaches and athletes before moving towards the main bowl where he handed it over to the Hon. Igali.

Receiving the Festival Torch, the Deputy Governor who gave thumbs up to the sponsors for the initiative, emphasized the importance of sports to the socioeconomic development of every society, including spoting raw talents, and engaging them into meaningful ventures.

Senator Ewhrudjakpo who represented the Governor at the brief event, stressed the priorities of the state to include education and sports due to the involvement of youths in both sectors, hence, Bayelsa’s active participation and dominance in almost all sporting events in the country, adding that the Niger Delta Sports Festival will not be an exception.

He said: “I wish to express the sentiments and emotions of Bayelsa State to the Niger Delta Development Commission for bringing out resources to sponsor this competition which is its maiden edition.”

“We believe that this sports festival will discover hidden talents across the Niger Delta region. For us as a state, sports is not just a festival but a tool for crime control and also a tool for empowerment of our youths and liberation of minds.”

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To the athletes, he said: “Please be at your best, go and come back with victory, and for all that is needed to excel, be rest assured that your government will be there for you.”

 Igali said the festival will give the Niger Delta states a sense of belonging in the realm of sports, and give the state enough grounds to prepare for the National Sports Festival.

On Bayelsa being the first state to light the torch, the Commissioner said: “The Unity Torch started today with Bayelsa, which signifies the importance of the state in the Niger Delta and a good sign that we are noted in sports in the region and Nigeria at large.”

“We have seventeen sports, and we will be participating in all the seventeen sports in Uyo, and we are ready”.

Director of Sports, Sir Wodi, noted the importance of the Niger Delta Sports Festival, saying “it will further expose more talents, and we will use the games for our preparation for the National Sports Festival”.

Also present at the event was the representative of the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Mrs Itekesi Walama, who added that preparations were in top gear, as the interventionist agency was ready to receive the nine Niger Delta states, in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom state capital.

Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa led the nine others in organising trials for local government and federal constituencies on the first day of the trials for the Niger Delta Sports Festival (NDSF) which commenced on Tuesday, March 11.

In Yenagoa, Bayelsa State declared that it is aiming to put forward its best young athletes in a fair and competitive environment.

And it was a trail blazing of sorts in Eket where Akwa Ibom held the first day of trials with athletes featuring in Canoeing, Weightlifting, Wrestling, Basketball and Athletics.

The Commissioner for Sports Development and Chairman of the Bayelsa State Liaison Committee , Hon. Daniel Igali, who also serves on the Main Organizing Committee (MOC), met with the Bayelsa State Working Committee in his office  yesterday.

The meeting was to strategize towards achieving the expected goals for the festival that holds in Uyo from April 1-8.

Igali emphasized the importance of maintaining the integrity of the competition by ensuring that all participating athletes meet the age requirement of 25 years and below. He reiterated that while winning is important, the primary focus should be on fair play, development, and showcasing young talent.

Igali met at the Ministry’s Conference Hall, with the coaches and association secretaries.

The discussions centred on establishing a structured and practical framework for conducting trials at both the Local Government Area (LGA) and Senatorial District levels.

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In Eket, Hon. Commissioner for Sports, Paul Bassey , was at different grounds supervising the trials with budding talents from the Eket Senatorial District competing for one of 316 coveted spots to represent the state at the inaugural event.

From the pitch to the tracks, mat, sand, river, pool, and courts, young athletes gave their all, showcasing their skills in various sports, including football, track and field, weightlifting, traditional wrestling, swimming, basketball, boxing, tennis, handball, canoeing, and volleyball. The organization of the trails was top-notch, conforming to the standards set by the Main Organizing Committee (MOC) of the festival.

The technical lead of the Akwa Ibom State Liaison Committee, Catherine Ekuta Ewa, expressed her excitement about the talents on display, saying, “If we can harness the talents we have seen here, Akwa Ibom will have a very bright future in sports.” She also thanked the organizers for creating an avenue for young athletes to be screened and aspire to compete at a higher level.

The trials, which were held in various locations across the Eket Senatorial District, including Eket town, Ibeno LGA, and Oron, saw a high level of competition, with many young athletes displaying exceptional skills and energy.

Nine states including Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa and Delta are among the competing stares. The rest are Edo, Imo, Cross River, Ondo and Rivers. The festival is sponsored by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) as a sports intervention project to mark its 25th anniversary and also help to harness talents in the region.

Akwa Ibom State Commissioner of Sports, Elder Paul Bassey , has assured that the state government will put everything in place to ensure a successful hosting of the maiden edition of Niger Delta Sports Festival.

The seasoned sports administrator stated this during his inspection tour of some sporting facilities in the state.

The Sports Commissioner inspected facilities at the Dakkada Skills Acquisition Centre –DASAC, Ikot Ada Idem, where he was conducted round by the Chairman, Governing Council of the centre, Chief Churchill Udoh and the Rector, Professor Enoidem Usoroh.

Some of the facilities inspected were the football field, tennis, volleyball and basketball courts, medical centre, male and female hostels, indoor sports hall and the auditorium.

Bassey thanked Governor Umo Eno for approving the hosting of the Niger Delta Sports Festival in Akwa Ibom, adding that the festival will give the state another opportunity to market its achievement and huge investment in sports infrastructural development and maintenance.

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He expressed satisfaction with the quality of sporting facilities at DASAC as well as the hostels which have the capacity to accommodate up to 1000 athletes during the sports festival and thanked the management of the centre for maintaining the facilities.

At the West Itam Sports Centre, the facility manager, Victor Owokere conducted the sports commissioner round the handball, basketball, volleyball and tennis courts which are currently undergoing rehabilitation ahead of the sports festival.

Owokere lamented the level of vandalism at the sports centre and appealed for improved security to safeguard the facilities, especially after the rehabilitation work.

The Commissioner, who condemned the destruction of public infrastructure and the use of government sport facilities without due authorization, announced plans to set up a Stadium Management Committee, to ensure the protection and maintenance of government-owned sports facilities across the state.

He commended the level of rehabilitation work at the Itam Sports Centre and assured of proper management of the centre after the Niger Delta Sports Festival which is scheduled to hold from April 1-9 with over 3000 athletes expected from the nine Niger Delta States.

The Commissioner was accompanied to the inspection tour by all the Directors in the Ministry of Sports, led by the Director of Sports, Mrs Brigitte Oton.

Organisers of the Niger Delta Sports Festival (NDSF) have made reasonable progress in the upgrade of some of the sporting facilities identified for competitions.

A turning point in the ongoing facelift of the facilities has been the effective deployment of Engineers and other support workers.

According to the Chairman of the Facility and Transport subcommittee, Dr Ochuko Igbigbisie, the major work is the refurbishment of the Uyo Township Stadium Swimming Pool.

“It is an Olympic size 9-lane pool but many of the technical facilities have been vandalised.

“The work started today with the draining of the water to ascertain the condition of the floor,” Igbigbisie told Journalists after an inspection round in Uyo.

On an upbeat note, the Facilities subcommittee Chairman said that the preliminary report of Engineers showed that the pool is not leaking and can be revived.

“Our major fear was allayed when the Engineers handling the swimming pool upgrade declared that the pool is not leaking which would have posed an extended threat to timely repairs,” Igbigbisie further explained.

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He assured that the facility will be ready in a week’s time to the games.

On the state of some other facilities like tennis and basketball courts, he disclosed that they would require re-flooring and other touch-ups.

The refurbishment of moribund facilities in the host state is a major collateral benefit the festival, sponsored by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) brings to host states.

“The organisers will not be going away with these upgraded facilities at the end of the festival, that is the essence of hosting the event and benefitting from the NDDC intervention through sports,” Igbigbisie added.

The NDSF starts from April 1-8 in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State and will feature over 3000 athletes competing in 17 games. Dunamis Icon is the project consultants.

Slight adjustments have been made to the programs leading up to the maiden edition of the Niger Delta Sports Festival with the extension of deadline for registration from February 28 to March 7.

In a briefing to members of the Technical Committee and States Liaison Committees by the Co-Chairman of the Technical Committee, Enefiok Udo-Obong, he attributed the extension to a surge in requests from states that have been affected by the zonal qualifiers of the National Sports Festival (NSF).

“Dear Gentlemen and ladies, due to the request of a lot of States and the participation of States at the zonal eliminations for NSF, we have decided to make some changes to our calendar.

“Registration would now be extended by a week and would close on the 7th March 2025”, Udo-Obong stated.

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The shift has in turn meant that the dates for the Local Government and Constituency trials would also be adjusted.

Udo-Obong informed State Liaison Committee members that they would be provided names of registered persons in their state and the Sports entered for on March 9, 2025.

“Consequently, all Federal Constituency/LG trials would take place between the March11-15 2025”, concluded the Tuesday morning memo to the Committees.

The Olympics gold medallist told NDSF Media that the adjustments will not affect the festival schedule, assuring that “We are still within our schedule to start the trials and open the festival on April 1, 2025”.

The NDSF is the first Sports related intervention project of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and it coincides with the commission’s 25^th anniversary with the theme: Beyond Oil, Harnessing Talents.

Imo Commissioner for Sports, Evaristus Onyeocha, has disclosed that over 600 Under-25  athletes from the state will participate in the Niger Delta Sports Festival billed for April 2025 in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

Onyeocha, who also heads the Imo Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the sporting event, said this when the committee addressed newsmen in Owerri.

The NationSport reports that the festival, a first of its kind under the mandate of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), shall be among the states and indigenes of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria only, and shall run between the 1st and 8th Of April, 2025.

Over 3000 athletes, 600 coaches and technical officials, as well as 300 media practitioners shall be converging in the city of Uyo, the Akwa Ibom capital, for the event.

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The Commissioner described the sports festival as a flagship sports development program of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, in partnership with the Dunamis Icon Limited.

He said that the LOC will help the NDDC realise its set objectives as outlined by President Bola Tinubu through the event, as well as align with the vision of the Governor Hope Uzodinma – led government in Imo for the development of sports in the state.

According to him, the athletes shall be participating in all the 17 featured sports at the festival which include athletics, basketball, boxing, canoeing, chess, football, handball, para-athletics, para-powerlifting, scrabble, swimming, table tennis, tennis, volleyball, weightlifting, traditional wrestling and wrestling.

 “Participants and athletes Under 25 years of age are already registering Online at: https://nigerdeltasportfestival.com. The registration will close on March 7^th.

 “They can also come for physical capture at the Office of the Director of Sports, at the Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri.

Registrations are ongoing and state trials for all the mentioned sports have been fixed for Tuesday, March 4^th  at the Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri.

He thanked all critical stakeholders including the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mrs. Rubby Emele and the Chairmen of local governments for their support in ensuring access to the grassroots for harnessing of indigenous talents for the competition.

Abia, Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo, and Rivers States are the nine Niger Delta States participating in the Festival.

The aim of organising the forthcoming Niger Delta Sports Festival  is to produce the next generation of athletes from the region for the country.

This much  was stated by the  festival’s  Co-chairman of the Main Organising Committee and Project Consultant, Itiako Ikpokpo.

The festival, which is proudly supported by Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), is  slated to hold between April 1^st  and 9^th in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

Speaking in a chat with media in Lagos, Ikpokpo disclosed that all athletes that excel at the event would be well taken care of by giving them the opportunity to attend competitions in Nigeria, Africa and Europe.

He stated further that there would be prizes for the athletes who win gold, silver and bronze medals.

Ikpokpo said: “For those who do well at the event, they would be able to attend competitions both in Nigeria, African and Europe because it will strengthen them, it will give them confidence and build their capacity to be better.

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 “We may not have all the fund for that but the MD/CEO of NDDC Dr Samuel Ogbaku has assured that no matter how small the funding is, we would be able to provide for the after event management of these athletes as much as we can. I have that guaranteed from the MD/CEO of NDDC.”

NationSport reports that 3,000 athletes within the ages of 16-25 years will complete in 17 sports during the festival at different locations in Uyo.

Similarly, Ikpokpo confirmed that Niger Delta Sports Festival will be an annual event with the intention to add more sports in the subsequent edition.

 “This is what we agreed to do in the first edition. As we progress, we will make progress with more sports; shooting, martial arts, Karate e.tc.” he said.

State trials and selection of athletes are scheduled to hold between March  21^st  and 23^rd ahead of the sports festival.

The maiden edition of the Niger Delta Sports Festival scheduled to  hold  between April 3 and 12 in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State will feature 17 sports.

Athletics, Basketball, Boxing, Canoeing/Kayak, Football, Handball, Swimming, Table Tennis, Tennis, Weightlifting and Wrestling are the sports lined up for the first edition of the sports festival.

Others are Chess, Scrabble, Traditional Wrestling, Volleyball, Para Athletics and Para Powerlifting.

According to a release of featured sports, events and allocation of entries, athletics will have track and field events to be competed for in the men’s and women’s categories.

In the track events, there will be 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1,500m, 3,000m steeple chase, 5,000m, 100m hurdles and 110m hurdles.

The relay events will feature the men’s 4x100m, the women’s 4x100m, the men’s 4x400m and the women’s 4x400m.

Long jump, high jump, triple jump, javelin, shot put, discus and hammer are lined up for the field events.

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There will be categories for men and women in boxing. In the men’s category, each state will have an athlete each in the 52kg, 63kg, 75kg, 81kg and 81kg+ class. Women’s boxing will have three categories of 51kg, 63kg and 75kg.

Four events will be up for contest in kayak. The 100m men’s singles, the 100m women’s singles, the 500m men’s singles and the 500m women’s singles are the events for kayak.

In canoeing, there will be singles and doubles events for men and women. The singles event will feature 100m for men and women as well as 200m for men and women. The men will compete in the 500m doubles while the women will also vie in the 500m doubles.

In swimming, the freestyle event will cover 50m, 100m, 200m and 400m while the back stroke will feature 50m, 100m and 200m. Swimming will also have categories in breast stroke, butterfly stroke, individual medley, freestyle relay for men and women as well as mixed medley.

Table Tennis will feature men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles as well as mixed doubles.

In wrestling, there will be freestyle and Greco Roman events for men and women while weightlifting will feature four weight class of 61kg, 73kg, 89kg and 102kg in the men’s category and 49kg, 59kg, 71kg and 81kg classes in the women’s category.

State trials and selection are scheduled to begin in February ahead of the sports festival.