Sports
Sports: A Harvest Of Achievements
Since creation, about 50 years ago, the geographical expression called Rivers State has been one of the major players in the Sports industry in Nigeria. From the production of sportsmen and women, who grew to win laurels, national and international glory for the country, and the development of Sports infrastructure, the state has been central.
Therefore, at times like this, when scoresheets are collated, and past strides are analysed, counting the leaps and honour roll call of Rivers State in sports 50 years into its creation would not be out of place.
Looking back and, chronicling the giant strides of the state and her people would however not be a simple or an easy task.
Having been created on the 27th of May 1967, the State shaped its identity not only on the economic and social front but in sports as well. From the outset, the state played frontal roles in shaping the course of sports development and talent contribution to the country. From the provision of sports facilities that at different times were put at the disposal of the country, and thrusting forward athletes to fly the nation’s flag at international competitions, Rivers State has been among the top five. It is this vision, one of those of the founding fathers of the state that has kept the state in the front burner of players in the country’s sports industry. It has made Port Harcourt a destination of choice for national sports events.
From its creation to present day, the State can boast of facilities that have placed it at the top of proud owners of modern sports facilities that can be described as world class in Nigeria.
Since the days of the famous Recreation Stadium, to the impressive but uncompleted Liberation Stadium of Old, and the Civic Centre, later Christened the Alfred Diete-Spiff Sports Complex, Rivers State has improved infrastructurally.
Today, the State can celebrate the impressive and ultra modern Adokiye Amiesimaka Sports Complex which was started during the administration of the immediate past governor, Rotimi Amaechi and completed by the incumbent, Chief Nyesom Wike.
It is an imposing infrastructure that boasts of space and facilities for almost all kinds of sports, from athletics, ball games, racquet sports, aquatic sports, indoor halls, medical and administrative centres, a mainbowl and multiple training pitches to other facilities.
The complex has become an addition to the facilities put in place by the first Military Administrator of the state and now a respected elder statesman, King Alfred Diete-Spiff.
Due to the presence of these facilities and additional basketball, volleyball, handball and tennis facilities in the Town axis of Port Harcourt, the state capital has become a consummate centre for wearing and expression of talent and home for many national and international Sports events.
In fact, the state has at different times come to the rescue of Nigeria, particularly, as her teams tried to qualify for international competitions. The state under Sir Peter Odili played pivotal role in ensuring that the national football team, the Super Eagles qualified for the 2002 World Cup in Korea/Japan.
Governor Nyesom Wike also, barely months in office placed the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium at the disposal of the national team and the youth side, the Flying Eagles, as they laboured to relaunch themselves into international competitions.
The State’s ambience and hospitality played major roles in the teams’ progress at the time the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, was in a difficult position and no other state wanted to shoulder the responsibilities of the national teams.
As hosts of the 1999 U-20 World Cup Sub seat of the Local Organizing Committee, LOC, Nigeria ’99, the State was among the subseats that received accolades for the way the teams were hosted, events organized and the spectators’ comportment throughout the first football World Cup played in Nigeria.
Apart from the football teams, Port Harcourt has also been a Mecca of sorts for intellectual discussions on ways of advancing the cause of the Sports sector in Nigeria. Many Sports federations would rather take their events, especially workshops, seminars and other events to the city rather that anywhere else.
It is on record that the state is among the list of few in the nation to have hosted the National Sports Festival, an event designed to be the discovery and launch pad for emerging and young talents into national assets, twice since inception, in 1988 with ‘Rivers 88’ and in 2011 when Garden City Games 2011 made headlines for the best reasons.
In fact, the Garden City Games was adjudged the most glamorous and best organized edition of the National Sports Festival. To date, a few have tried but no state has been able to match the standard set by that memorable festival.
It is to the credit of the state that one of the few Sports High Performance centres in Africa and the major one in West Africa is hosted in the State, with the centre at the University of Port Harcourt critical to the wearing and preparation of athletes for major competitions.
In addition to the infrastructural weight of the state as far as the Sports sector is concerned, there are also landmark achievements, stars and heroes of yore and present to celebrate.
Over the years, athletes discovered on the streets, creeks and coastal areas of the State have grown to win laurels and bring glory not only to Rivers, but Nigeria as a whole. From the time of the Old Rivers State to present day, athletes and teams from the State have made appreciable marks in the sands of time.
Therefore, as the drums are rolled out this day in celebration and reminiscences of the giant strides of Rivers and her people, some thoughts and recognition must be spared for those that have written the name of the state in gold though sports at one time or the other.
Multiple title winners, Rivers United Football Club of Port Harcourt in its days as Eagle Cement FC and Dolphins FC of Port Harcourt has severally won the National challenge Cup, now Federation Cup and the country’s top flight title to be regarded as one of the most successful football clubs in Nigeria. The Club is currently, under their new identity as Rivers United, the only survivor flying the country’s flag in a CAF’s continental football competition CAF Confederation Cup, this season. Rivers Angels FC, one of the pioneers of women football clubs in Nigeria has also become serial winner of all the national titles on offer, be it the League or the Federation Cup competition.
The state was also able to break the ice and wrote its name among the few that have won the National Sports Festival, when Rivers hosted and won remarkably the 17th edition in 2011.
At individual levels, athletes and sports administrators from the state have equally been able to hold their own and ensured that the state at different times was proud to have had worthy sons and daughters that represented her well.
“In the 1970s and ’80s, the state was so blessed with talents’ recalled one of the veteran athletics coach still around today, Tobias Igwe, fondly called ‘Toblow’ in a recent interview, ‘ that the state was a major supplier of athletes to the national camps, the state had a way of throwing up athletes as if they were on standby:
Interestingly, as the old generations fade, new ones emerge to take over the mantle.
Leading the old brigade was late Dr. George Ogan, an accomplished athlete and technocrat that was one of those Nigerians that were sent to study why the Germans were so successful in Sports in the 1950s and ’60s. He was also among those that wrote the letters of the National Sports festival in Nigeria. Dr. Ogan, who died recently was a pioneer long and triple jumper in the ’60s.
Another triple jumper, Chief Nemi Adoki bestrode the event at the Oluyole ’80 National Sports festival. He ruled the sport in his days before veering into sports administration. Adoki is among the pioneer members of the National Association of Athletics Technical Officials, NAATO.
Another old brigade athlete is Warisenibo Kalada Aminiokuma. The Bonny-born high Jumper of repute dominated and popularized the event in the State as he won several meets, especially in the then Eastern region of Nigeria.
There are several other athletes and stars of yester-years who deserve mention and recognition, particularly at this time of celebration. Mr. Joshua J. Kio, popularly known as J.J. Kio is one of such athletes. Kio took the baton for his Kinsman, Ogan and became synonymous with triple jump. He won several national and international laurels.
An astute technocrat, who has superintended over the Rivers State Sports Institute, Isaka and served as Director, Sports Development in the Ministry of Sports remains one of the state’s only two time Olympians. He was part of Nigeria’s contingent to the 1980 Moscow Olympies and the subsequent edition in Los Angeles in 1984.
Step out Chief Adokiye Amiesimaka, MON, JP, an erudite scholar, broadcaster, footballer and Sports administrator. Amiesimaka among other things remains one of the most celebrated members of the maiden title winning football team, Green Eagles when the country lifted the African Cup of Nations in Lagos in 1980. Amiesimaka, who played for the national team as an undergraduate also laced boots for the famous Rangers International of Enugu and Sharks FC of Port Harcourt, which he later managed as chairman.
Late Ombo G. Peters was one of the best sprinters to have come out of the state. He was a specialist in the sprints and long jump and was a member of the Nigerian team to Edinburgh 1986 Commonwealth games. There was also Ethel Jacks, a table tennis Amazon who ruled the circuit before the emergence of players from the South West as leading forces of the Sport.
Also part of the old guard were Tamunoemi Gibson, late Silas Ogwuama, Graywood Oruwari, Tari Tikili, Mbakabuari Fyneface and Godwin Banuna, who held sway in badminton and athletics.
Then enter the recent generation of athletes, who consistently put Rivers on the map by sustaining the character and performance of the state at national and international competitions.
Time was when the state was a colossus in weight-lifting. That time belonged to the likes of Ojadi Aduche, Oliver Toby and Benjamin Minimah were the leading lights.
Aduche blazed the trail in the 1990s, dominating almost every National Sports festival and flew the country’s flag at the All Africa games, Commonwealth Games and the Olympics. He won gold medals at Kenya and Cairo ’91 All Africa games Silver at the Commonwealth games in 1990 and represented Nigeria at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona.
Following the trail of Aduche were Oliver Toby, a 64kg Category Weightlifter and Minimah, a heavyweight. Toby was a Junior Championship Champion at several World weight lifting Championships, winning gold in Florida in 1990 and in turkey in 1992. He also won three gold medals at the world junior Weightlifting Championships in 1994 in Canada and earlier secured two gold medals at the All Africa Games, Cairo 1991 and two gold and one Silver in Kenya. He is also an Olympic games in Barcelona.
Minimah on his part, rode the national scene, particularly the National Sports Festivals in the 1990s. he quit competitive weightlifting after Bauchi 2000 National Sports festival.
Gabriel Nwanetanya
Wiyakara community in Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State at the weekend celebrated the founder of the community, Yakara Kuteh, with a football match.
The football match saw Wiyakara All Stars lock horns with Khana All Stars.
Speaking with newsmen after the football match, the Chief of Wiyakara community in Khana Local Government Area, Chief Daate Benson Gbenenwikpo, expressed joy over the football match.
According to him, every country celebrates their Independence Day, adding that likewise they are also celebrating the one who founded their community, Yakara Kuteh.
By: Kiadum Edookor
School of Environmental studies has emerged overall winners of the just concluded 2026 Captain Elechi Amadi Polytechnic (CEAPOLY)sports competition.
School of Business Administration on the other hand lifted the football trophies of the competition for both the male and female categories
According to results made available to newsmen during the final of the competition, School of Environmental studies won nine gold, one bronze and three silver medals to win the competition, they were followed by School of Sciences , which got five gold ,six silver and five bronze medals , while school of information and Communication came third with four gold,three silver and a bronze.
Also school of Business Administration came fourth with three gold, five silver and seven bronze, school of Engineering won the fifth place with two gold, two silver and three bronze, school of legal studies, one gold, three silver and five bronzes while school of financial studies came last with no gold,four silver and three bronze Meanwhile the Rector of The Captain Elechi Amadi Polytechnic Dr Moses Neebe has rated the competition high
Neebe who was represented by the Deputy Rector, Academics, Dr Alapuye Eleki described the competition as one of the best organized so far by the institution.
He said this was made possible by the inclusion of all sporting events, stressing that the situation gave students of the polytechnic the opportunity to showcase their sporting talents.
The Rector also commended the students and officials for their mature behaviour through out the duration of the competition
It would be recalled that the Rector, while declaring opened the competition had announced the expansion of the expansion of the competition with the inclusion of athletic events in the competition.
Neebe also said because of the changes , the competition will also be known as f “Rector’s Sports Competition instead of to Rector’s cup.
He said this was necessary to enable students of the institution showcase and development their talents in all round of sports as well as enable the school to raise a team for key sports competition in the country especially the forthcoming Nigerian polytechnic games coming up next year.
He described it as first of it’s kind in the history of the polytechnic
“The first of its kind, for the first time we are participating in all the sports and basic things. The purpose of doing this is to increase participation, before now it used to be only football lovers but football, though the king of all sports is not the only sport, there are other sports and students with skills in this other sports have been left out previously so this year we decided to carry everyone along.
“Either you’re a participant in one game or sports or the other or you are a lover and admirer of another game or sports and this is why we decided to do it this way.
“And for the first time too we are extending this for a period of two weeks, previously it used to be one week now it is two weeks.
“The reason is because we want everybody not only to watch but to come out and show your own skill in tht game or sport that you love so much”
The Rector said the change will also enable the polytechnic to put together a formidable team for the forthcoming Nigeria Polytechnic Games
“Our concern is that at the end of this competition we should be able to put one or two things together that will participate in this year’s Nigeria Polytechnic Games.
“This year’s Nigeria Polytechnic Games has been scheduled to hold at the Federal Polytechnic Bida sometime early next year and so from the participants here please coaches and officers of the ministry of youth and sports present, help us to identify the talents”
He said the institution’s annual competition has produced some talented sportsmen and women some of who are playing abroad and advised the students to take the event very seriously.
“I am proud to say that one or two members of this competition in the past are playing their football overseas, the ones that I know. And so, from those of you here today, and those that will play later, put in your best.
“Please, the name of the game is fair play. It is not a do-or-die thing. It is a competition, but not a war, not a competition of war. So, please play as friends, put in your best, show your skill, at the end, we’ll be proud of you.
“Whether you win or you lose, we are all one family. Thank you, thank you” he said
Also speaking the Director of Sports, Captain Elechi Amadi polytechnic,Dr Daye Barango described the inclusion of all sporting activities in the competition as a welcome development.
Barango said it would provide opportunities for students to develop their talents in all the sports”There is going to be changes, because this year we included athletics.”There is going to be 100 meters,200 metres,400 metres 800 metres 1500 meters
” We are also going to have javelin,discus and short put
“All these are in preparation for us to get our athletes for next year’s NIPOGA. We hope that from this year,we can get good athletes that will represent the school “
Barango said the school, a few years ago also introduced basketball volleyball and table tennis, adding “but this year is different because we have included athletes
“We are going to be better than what we had last year or previous years especially as we have new games coming in ,new sports coming in and the athletics”,he said.
By: John Bibor
For many Nigerians the outcome of the 2026 FIFA World Cup did not matter much, the pain of not having been represented by the country’s flagship team, the Super Eagles have remained the sour point of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. A former chairman of the League Management Company, now NPFL, Rumson Victor Baribote said it was unthinkable that Nigeria, the giant of Africa, was absent out of ten countries that represented Africa at the Mundial..”It is something I don’t even want to think about. For a team that once ranked fifth in the whole world, it was embarrassing not to have qualified for the World Cup. It is a shame. It is not something that should be remembered or even thought about.”
Baribote is not alone. Former Secretary General of the Nigeria Football Association(now NFF) Alhaji Sani Toro said, “It is unfortunate that we have failed to go to the World Cup in two consecutive editions. Our football has gone down and the government doesn’t seem to have the will to do anything about it.”
A former Nigeria international, Edema Fuludu echoed, “Every Nigerian football fan is still bitter that in two consecutive World Cups we did not attend. It shows that we need to do more, apart from just talking. We must work on the talk.” Working the talk, Fuludu insisted, means “the NFF must not go the former round where we just talk about going back to the drawing board when we don’t have a drawing board. Nigeria has to be in the next World Cup.” That means things must change. How does the change come about when the people who are resisting change are still in charge of affairs?
Corroborating Fuludu’s fears, Baribote said, “ If we were in a saner clime, those who are at the helm of affairs should have humbly stepped aside honourably and relinquished their positions, but not here.”
The bigger worry is that the Nigeria Football Federation has fixed September 26 for its elective congress which will produce a new executive. Almost all members of the present board want to return and campaigns are already in high gear. The campaign slogan of the NFF President Ibrahim Gusau is ‘continuity’
Toro said nothing will change as the September election has already been concluded. “This coming election is already concluded,” he told this writer. “They will only remove one or two people who do not agree with them. So don’t expect any change at the end of the election. The same people will come back.”
Asked if he was interested in the forthcoming election, Fukudu laughed it off. “Only a fool will throw his hat into the ring for a fight he knows he cannot win,” he said. “There is no level playing field,” he remarked, adding, “It’s good to be ambitious, but there is no level playing field. Under which platform will I be coming from? You must come from a platform which can give you some votes. Now there is a lot of inequality(imbalance) in the way votes are being given at NFF elections. That is what the players’ Union has been fighting. Let us have a level playing field so that knowledgeable people can willingly go to contest. As it is now, someone like Okocha or Odegbami can only get one vote if they want to contest. For instance, if I am coming from a state FA there is no way I can contest for the Presidency against the incumbent because he is on top of the FAs; where they have 36 votes plus. If I am coming from the players Union I will have only one vote, a coach has only one vote. So where is the fairness in it? That is the problem; no level playing ground. So it is not as if one doesn’t want to be ambitious. There is no fairness in the whole thing. Unless you are a fool, you can’t just throw your hat into the ring because you won’t get the vote required to win”.
Baribote assured that something can still be done to correct the imbalance in the voting pattern before the September election. He argued that the real actors who make football possible were being relegated in the running of their own affairs by those he termed as ‘outsiders’.
“If you look at a football match,” he began, “who are those that are the real actors on the pitch? The players, the referees and the coaches and here they don’t have the opportunity to manage their own affairs, while those that are not active are the people calling the shots. That is why we are having this problem.”
He continued, “out of 44 voting rights, the FAs get 36, with FCT it becomes 37. So, how can one unit produce a president at the expense of the other four? And even the League chairmen that are supposed to be elected, are appointed into office by the NFF board.
“Now the NFF just pick whoever they like and impose him on the clubs as League chairman, Who elected him? I was chairman of the league at the time, I was elected by the clubs.”
Baribote said FIFA recognizes that clubs elect or appoint their own person, not somebody coming to interfere. So, there’s a lot of illegality going on.
“Even in the Nigerian constitution, for you to be president, you must have at least two thirds of votes in a number of states. But in the Nigerian Football Federation, it’s only one unit, which is the state FAs, that elect instead of the collective mandate of all the stakeholders.”
Justifying his objection to the status quo, Baribote said, “Now, let me give you one simple analogy. For you to be a referee in Nigeria, to officiate games, you must have passed through training or a test of the Nigerian Referee Association, to qualify as an NRA member. To be a coach, you must have the minimum qualification of the NIS as a coach and to be a member of the players’ union, you must have played professionally. That is the qualification. Now tell me what qualifies the FA Chairmen? Nothing.”
Fuludu said, the fight to correct the imbalance has been on for long. “Even the Players Union led by Harrison Jalla had to go to court but some of us in the union decided not to go the same route and avoid the courts by talking to some stakeholders and people in the National Sports Commission. The so-called amendments made at the Extraordinary Assembly in Bayelsa were cosmetic. If anything, it shows that they still don’t want to provide a level-playing field. There is no verifiable change.”
We asked if it has become a helpless case? His answer was blunt. “It appears so, unless the government steps in and says, ‘enough of this. Let us have a comprehensive list and let no one threaten us with FIFA, so that people with real interest and good intentions for Nigeria football will come out to contest. Once they are assured of a level playing field, the best candidates will come out to contest”.
Toro who supervised one of the most successful eras of Nigerian football said the situation can only be rectified by the government. The NFF Statutes that appear so lopsided can be amended to reflect fairness and equal representation of stakeholders if the government stands firm. “It is easy to deal with and nobody should threaten us with FIFA sanctions. Unfortunately, the government has not demonstrated enough will to effect the desired change. The chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko said there will be changes but I think only a miracle can bring about this change.”
Baribote declared that the present board of NFF cannot be talking about another election when the election that brought them to power had been declared illegal by the Appeal Court.
Said he, “We shouldn’t be talking about whether they should come back because their being in office alone is illegal. There is a standing order given by the Court of Appeal dated 19th January, 2024 that nullified their election. They filed an appeal and the Court of Appeal on the 29th of September, 2022 gave an interim order when they looked at the propriety of their appeal and on January 19th, 2024, struck out their appeal and further directed the deletion of that appeal number from the court of appeal. Yet they are in office. We have filed contempt proceedings, we have filed for the enforcement of that order. They are still in office. So, you see that there is no legal mandate putting them in office because the election that put them there, in the first place, is still being challenged in the court of Appeal and they want to go ahead with another election because they have no respect for judicial pronouncements and the rule of law.
Like I said, one day a Moses will come that will take us to the Promise Land. So, we are on it, we are not going back. So, ordinarily, in the eyes of the law, they are not even known because their being in office is illegal.”