Leading national sports personalities of the Niger Delta extraction have learnt their voices in support of the Niger Delta Sports Festival (NDSF), the nation’s first ever regional sports festival.
The personalities with backgrounds in sports administration, marketing and media spoke separately in commendation of the festival, an initiative of the Niger Delta Development Commission(NDDC) with Dunamis Icon as consultants.
The personalities include a sitting vice president of the Nigeria Olympics Committee (NOC), Chief Solomon Ogba, foremost Sports Marketer and founder of Okpekpe Road Race, Mike Itemuagbor and top Sports Journalist and Media Strategist, Mitchel Obi.
Obi who is from Imo State and a former vice president of Association of International Sports Press (AIPS), described the festival as a game changer coming when the Federal Government has resolved to tap into and build a sports economy.
“This is a positive addition to the evolving sports business ecosystem because it is not just a springboard for identifying talents, it also offers a platform to truly hone the skills of those already discovered”, remarked Obi, who served as Special Advisor to a former Sports Minister, late Anthony Ikhazabor.
He said the festival will be a flagship event in the region that would trigger interest in sports among the youths and people of the region.
Edo State born Itemuagbor commended the NDDC for the decision to add sports in the list of their intervention projects in the region, adding that “this speaks directly to the problem of youth restiveness which is of great concern to our people”.
“Before now, the NDDC focused largely on matters of road, health and education which are all important for the society. But the sports initiative will not only provide positive engagement for youths, it will also stimulate economic activities from the local trials to the festival proper”, Itemuagbor noted.
Ogba, a former president of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and who is from Delta State described the NDSF as an asset to the country because it would serve to contribute the national teams in various sports.
The NDSF is sponsored by the NDDC and will draw participation from the nine mandate states of the Commission. Slated for Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, over 3000 athletes and 600 Coaches are expected to compete in 17 sports from April 1-8.
