The chairman of the Main Organizing Committee of the maiden Niger Delta Sports Festival (NDSF), Alabor Boma Iyaye has said that the purpose of the oil rich region Sports festival has been achieved.
The Niger Delta Sports Festival MOC boss made the disclosure on Monday, April 7, 2025 during a press conference at the Godswill Akpabio stadium in Uyo, stating enthusiastically that over five hundred (500) talented young athletes have been discovered for nurturing during the eight days event.
He said that the organisers of the maiden Niger Delta Sports Festival NDDC and Dunamis Icon Limited are satisfied with the outcome, considering the excitement of the youths, the level of participation; the friendship and bonding already established among the nine states of the region, assuring that the MOC has recommended a bianial meet and sustainability of the festival for the region.
“We are having the first ever Niger Delta Sports Festival and we will love to sustain it. A good product should be preserved. The main objective is to create career opportunities for our youth. We must continue to appreciate the power of sports in ensuing social engineering in the society.
Sports is a veritable tool for greatness. Sports can take unknown athletes from remote villages to international recognition and fame.
“As a commision we find it necessary to use the spot festival as a platform for youths empowerment.
“ We are recommending two years for festival to the commission . Economically, Akwa Ibom GDP has been impacted positively. We have been able to discover over 500 athletes good enough to become Ronaldo, Messi and other superstars. The next thing now is how we going to be nurturing them going forward.
“We will come up with another programme for nurturing to turn them into a finished product. We have been able to create new bonds an friendship other than oil that God has blessed us with. Sports remain the biggest unifier hence we will continue to invest in sports,” Iyaye emphasised.
He commended the media for positive and impactive reportage and coverage since the commencement of the event.
“ We also appreciate our partners,Premium Trust Bank and others.” He assured that the Niger Delta Development Commission will sustain sponsorship of the NDSF.
Borma revealed that the NDDC was responsible for the preparation of all the nine states from their kits, transportation to feeding.
He added that the nine states contributed little or nothing to the organization of.the event. “This is happening for the first time and we are willing to continue to do so in subsequent events,” he emphasized.