Hendrix Oliomogbe
Over 3,000 athletes and officials from nine Oil Producing States will converge in the Edo capital Benin City between February 20 and 27 2026 for the Second Niger Delta Games.
The event which will feature 17 sports, including football, basketball, lawn tennis, volleyball amongst other sports and a cultural night, which will hold between February 20 and 27, 2025, is being sponsored by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The chairman of Dunamis Icons Limited, organizers of the Niger Delta Games (NDGs), Hon. Itiako Ikpokpo who disclosed this at a press briefing with members of the Edo State Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) in Benin City, explained that participating athletes who must not exceed 20 years of age must also be indigenes of the participating states.
Hon. Ikpokpo said that grassroots is at local government level, insisting that efforts should be made to take talents hunt to that level to discover more sports talents for the country.
He pointedly accused state governments of not doing enough to elevate sports development, lamenting that low budgetary provisions for sports by state governments is far below what is required to uplift sports development,
Hon. Ikpokpo added: "We must go back to schools sports to discover more young talents for the country. There is need to elevate conversation on sports in the country. The reason why sports has not become money spinner is because of the manner sports is being managed by administrators."
According to him, it was shameful that across the country, cheating is allowed to go on in sports, urging all hands to be on deck to stop the trend.
The former chairman of Isoko South Local Government Area called on the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to look beyond Uyo Stadium, Akwa Ibom State for the hosting of international football tournaments and visit Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City, which he said has good turf just as that of Uyo.
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