Chairman of the Main Organising Committee of the forthcoming Niger Delta Sports Festival, Alabo Boma Iyaye, has expressed satisfaction with the level of preparations for the event.
He spoke on Tuesday during an inspection tour of hostel facilities and competition venues in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
Iyaye, who is also the Executive Director in charge of Administration and Finance of the Nigeria Delta Development Commission (NDDC), was delighted when he was shown round the Dakkada Skills Acquisition Centre to accommodate athletes of five of the nine states during the games.
He said everything is almost in place to host the maiden regional sports festival in the country.
In his words: “I am really excited about the facilities and the level of preparations. From what I have seen, I can say that we are ready. What is left is just to dot some Is and cross some Ts. The consultants have done a great job, and it gives me joy.
“I used to think that Edo or Delta would be best qualified to host these games in terms of facilities, because they have recently hosted the National Sports Festivals, but looking at what Akwa Ibom has given to us, I am indeed proud.
“We know that the Niger Delta Development Commission mandate states produce about 70 to 80 percent of Nigeria’s best athletes, but we have also observed the decline in our nation’s sporting fortunes, and as an interventionist agency which has been delivering on various infrastructural needs across the region, we find it necessary to intervene in sports, to provide opportunities for our youths to excel and to show the world that the Niger Delta is not only about oil.
“This is why the theme of the festival is ‘Beyond Oil: Harnessing Talents.’
“But the festival is not only about talent discovery. It also leads us into intervention in sporting facilities, like we are doing now in Akwa Ibom.”
Other facilities inspected include the West Itam Sports Centre, Ultra Fit Sports Centre, the Swimming Pool section of the Uyo Township Stadium, which is undergoing renovation, and the Cordelia Connely College
Sponsored by the NDDC, the Niger Delta Sports Festival will be held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, from April 1 to 8, 2025.
The event is also supported by Premium Trust as Lead Corporate Sponsor, alongside Ramec Group, Ocean Sands and Havillah Hotels.
