NDSF: President Tinubu Pledges Support For Regional Sports - by Jude Agbeyeke

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President Bola Tinubu has reiterated his administrations commitment towards grassroots development.

President Tinubu stated this while declaring open the maiden edition of the Niger Delta Sports Festival taking place in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on Wednesday, April 2, 2025.

Represented by the Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Alhaji Shehu Dikko, the President said that sports was no longer for recreation alone but a veritable tool to engaging the nation's youth in meaningful ventures as well as platform for wealth creation.

He further said that to this end, his administration had decided to scrap the federal ministry of sports and resorted to the galvanizing the sports sector through the  National Sports Commission in a bid to make sports a productive sector of the nation's economy through the engagement of stakeholders as well as discovering young talents who can become world beaters in future. 

The President lauded the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, for kick-starting a regional sports event which would institute sports development from the grassroots, and while adding that the Niger Delta Sports Festival had already  given birth to such festivals in the South West and North East, asserted that it would spiral to other regions, thereby rejuvenating the nation's sports sector as well as taking Nigeria back to its glory days in international sports meets.

President Tinubu however charged the athletes to compete fairly but with a focus to using the platform offered by the Niger Delta Sports Festival as a springboard to international recognition.

Host Governor of the NDSF and helmsman of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umoh, Eno urged the athletes to see the Niger Delta Sports Festival bankrolled by the Niger Delta Development Commission as an opportunity to become world champions.

Pastor Eno said the Niger Delta had been the hub for sports development and the Niger Delta Sports Festival would help in rekindling the regions dominance in Nigerian sports as it had faced dwindling fortunes in recent times. 

The Governor, who assured of his administrations commitment to sports development in a bid to engage the youth in the state in meaningful  ventures that would curb the restiveness while providing them with a platform to excel, equally averred that the NDSF was a veritable tool to bridging the gaps in the region as well as strengthening the purpose of creating a stronger regional economy through sports and other collaborative ventures. 

Governor of Ondo State, Mr Lucky Aiyedatiwa, while praising the NDDC for the laudable event said the NDSF would further galvanize development in the region as it would enhance relationships in the region as well as engaging the various governments towards building a virile economy that would make life more meaningful for the people whose  land had consistently laid the Golden egg that the rest of Nigeria currently enjoys. 

Governor Aiyedatiwa challenged his counterparts to work towards sustaining the NDSF as it had the potential of strengthening the bond in the region. 

Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Dr Samuel Ogbuku revealed that the commission decided to celebrate the NDDC 25th anniversary with sports, because of its unifying tendencies as well as the ability to engage the youths and stakeholders towards building on the rich culture of the region, asserting that outside Crude Oil which the region was known for, it was also blessed with diverse cultures and traditions that would enhance development and build a dynamic economy through collaborations. 
The Minister of Regional Development, Mr. Abubakar Momoh as well as the Director General of the National Sports Commission Dr Bukola Olapade and the Chairman of the Main Organizing Committee and the Executive Director Finance of the NDDC, Alabo Boma Iyaye, all thanked the Governor of Akwa Ibom State for agreeing to host the maiden edition of the festival, saying he had opened a door to a vista of opportunities to Nige Delta Youth and assured that the NDDC would continue to invest in ventures that would enhance the economy of the region while ensuring peace and security was entrenched in the region through sport. 

The event witnessed cultural performances from the 9 states of the region showcasing their rich cultures as they told the incredible story of the Niger Delta. 

Meanwhile events at NDSF continue tomorrow with athletics and Para-athletics, basketball, chess, canoeing, football, handball, swimming among other events at both the Godswil Akpabio Stadium and the Uyo Township Stadium Uyo.

The Niger Delta Sports Festival will last from April 1 - 9, 2025, in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.


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