The beautiful game of Rugby will be celebrated during the 1st NIGER DELTA SPORTS FESTIVAL coming up from. 1st – 9th April 2025 in Uyo the AKWA IBOM State Capital as a side attraction.
The event which is tagged IBOM RUGBY RUMBLE will feature both Male and Female Rugby Teams participating in Seven’s Rugby to be competed for by four Niger Delta State namely Abia, Rivers, Imo who are neighbouring the host AKWA IBOM State.
According to the coordinator of the event Obong Ntiense Williams who is popularly called Mr Rugby, “We will be featuring a One Day Rugby Demonstration tagged IBOM RUGBY RUMBLE during the 1st NIGER DELTA SPORTS FESTIVAL in Uyo on Wednesday 2nd April 2025 at the Community Comprehensive Secondary School, Ibiaku Itam II, Calabar Itu High Way, Itu Local Government Area in AKWA IBOM STATE”
According to the Secretary of the AKWA IBOM RUGBY ASSOCIATION Mr DAVID ONYEBUCHI “This program was initially planned to help rebrand Rugby Football in AKWA IBOM STATE who have in the past performed well at the National Sports Festival and National Youth Games Rugby event winners medals. We are now pushing the Catch Them Young Schools Program which has yielded some remarkable results for for us at the National Youth Games lately”
Said Williams, “In as much as Rugby was not one of the selected 17 Sports to feature at the first edition of the NIGER DELTA SPORTS FESTIVAL, we belief that we will be considered for the next edition next year given the pedigree of the game in the Niger Delta Region of the country”
Rugby is a very familiar sports in the NIGER DELTA STATE namely Edo, Delta, Rivers, Ondo, Imo, Abia, Cross River, Bayelsa and Akwa IBOM State respectively who are all Rugby playing States. Between Edo, Delta and Rivers States, they have won the highest number of Gold Medals in all the Rugby events in Nigeria and in all the Rugby versions namely 15’s, 10’s and 7’s.
Edo State is presently the South South ZONAL Champions in both Male & Female 15’s version, whilst it’s Female are the back to back National Seven’s Champions.
Rugby is now an Olympic sports since 2016, it is Commonwealth, All Africa Games Scoring event as well. It prides itself with her sister Sports Cricket as the only team sports in the world with two world cups being played every Four years.
Nigerians are well suited for the game of Rugby with the Niger Delta State leading the pack as it is a power, strength, speed, and intelligence game which are the main attributes of the region. Also this game greatly helps to curb restiveness in this bubbling part of Nigeria. The ethos of Rugby Union is defined by a set of core values, including integrity, passion, solidarity, discipline, and respect, fostering a spirit of fair play, teamwork, and camaraderie both on and off the field. This has been a veritable building block for the passion filled Sports popularly refered to as “A rough Sports played by Gentlemen!”
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Rugby Football Federation President Dr Ademola Are gave his backing for a job well done by the organisers and further encouraged them to do more for the beautiful game of Rugby which is fast rising again in the country.
