Sports

Commissioner Charts Path To Sports Festivals

Published

13 years ago

December 17, 2012

The Rivers Sports Commissioner, Hon. Mr Fred Igwe, has
called for the adoption of a high ethical conduct in future National Sports
Festivals, to preserve its objectives.

The
call was contained in a statement made available to newsmen in Port Harcourt by
the state’s Ministry of Sports.

According to the statement, Igwe stressed that the
propagation of the ideals of the National Sports Festival could improve the
standard of the sports fiesta and eliminate misconduct from both athletes and
officials.

“Organisers of the festival must realise that it is important
to improve ethical conduct at the Games, to encourage states to genuinely
develop budding grassroots talents.

“If ethical conduct is properly applied during the festival,
some of Team Rivers’ personnel wouldn’t have faced the sort of intimidation
they encountered at the just-concluded Games in Lagos,’’ he said.

Igwe complained that Duotimi Gagbe, a swimmer, was suspended
by the Nigerian Swimming Federation (NSF) without any cogent explanation.

He added that but for the timely intervention of the
organisers, the athlete would not have won the gold medal in the event.

According to
the statement, Igwe alleged that there was a conspiracy of sorts to obstruct
Team Rivers from emerging as winner of the Eko 2012 fiesta.

The
commissioner said that in spite of the challenges it had had to contend with,
Team Rivers still performed creditably, to emerge in the second position.

Team Rivers emerged in the second position in the
just-concluded 2012 NSF with 76 gold, 71 silver, and 71 bronze medals.

Sports

Football Pundit Lauds Chelle’s Effort In Monitoring Nigeria League Players

Published

2 days ago

May 13, 2026

The Tide

A well-known football pundit in the State, Chief Christopher Okonkwo has lauded the efforts and vision of the Super Eagles Coach Eric Chelle for going from one venue of the Nigeria Domestic Nigeria Professional Football League match to the other in monitoring Nigerian players, with a view to invite some exceptional good one discovered into the main stream of the Super Eagles team.

Okonkwo, who made the commendation in an interview at the Port Harcourt Club recently, described the positive move by Coach Chelle as a good step in the right direction, noting that the practice was how its been done in the past among any contracted coach assigned to tinker the Super Eagles team.

“Truly, it has been an old tradition in the country seeing any newly engaged Coach to lead the National team, visiting some our Nigeria League venues during the league matches to spot light some good talents that could be used to beef up some grey areas in the department of Eagles team”

He, however, frowned at the current situation where our coaches had continously been over depending on the use of foreign based players during invitation of players to the National camp, thereby, relegating the domestic home based league players to the background as if they have nothing much to offer to the team.

“I can vividly recall that the likes of great players in the mode of Finidi George, Taribo West, Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Okocha, Richard Owobokiri, Emmanuel Osuigwe among others started from Nigeria football league before they graduated to play in Europe through which they later invited to Super Eagles camp to represent Nigeria”

“Besides, I’m also of the view that going to secondary school football competitive games could equally serves as a a good platform to discover budding talents that could be nurtured to become great stars in near future”, Okonkwo frankly added.
Okonkwo, therefore, prayed that any football coach to be engaged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to tinker the Super Eagles should be told not to confine himself in staying in big hotel alone but to be visiting some of our local league match venues, with a view to discover some good players that can be drafted into the Super Eagles team.

“Indeed, I stand to be challenged that there some young good players in the Nigeria Professional League. If spotted and exposed, could give the some of the invited foreign based players a stiff competitive fight in securing a postion in the team”, Okonkwo emphatically stated.

Sports

LGA Boss Pledges To Reintroduce School Sports

Published

2 days ago

May 13, 2026

The Tide

The chairman of the Khana Local Government Area (LGA) of Rivers State, Bariere Thomas, has revealed that plans are underway to commence school sports at the primary and secondary school levels in the area.

According to him, school sports that were primarily used to discover young talents had become a thing of the past, adding that one of the ways to discover young talents is to organize programs that will expose talents at the grassroots level.

Thomas said this on Saturday in an interview with sports journalists shortly after a novelty football match between Khana All-Stars and council appointees.

The match was held to mark the birthday of Felix Ibor, the Supervisor for Education in Khana LGA, at the Bori Police Station field.

The LGA boss reiterated that organizing competitive sporting events in primary and secondary schools is one of the best ways to bring out the best in young people and help to achieve their potential.

“What we are doing in the Khana Local Government Area is to consolidate on the sports we know, which are wrestling, cycling, football, and others,” he said.

He added that he is concerned about the competitive nature of wrestling on the global stage; at Khana LGA, for instance, they are focusing on how to consolidate the sports they know more about.

Thomas described Felix Ibor as an academic whom he has known and worked with since before he became LGA chairman.

He commended both teams for the novelty match, saying that it was held to celebrate Ibor’s birthday.

Ibor thanked the chairman and both teams for celebrating with him, and he prayed that God would also bless them.

Meanwhile, Ibor also presented a set of Jessy to the chairman for the council team.

Kiadum Edookor

Sports

Ezechukwu Eyes Double Gold In African Champs

Published

2 days ago

May 13, 2026

The Tide

Teenage Nigerian sprinter Miracle Ezechukwu has set her sights on winning both the 100m and 4x100m relay titles at the 24th African Athletics Championships in Accra, while also targeting a new personal best in the process, Tidesports source.

Ezechukwu, one of the youngest members of the Nigerian contingent at the championship in Ghana, said her ambition was to win the 100m title in style and cap it with a new personal record.

The fresh secondary school graduate explained that she is fully focused on contributing to Team Nigeria’s medal hopes and is determined to deliver strong performances across her events.

“My main objective in Ghana is to clinch the 100m title and the 4×100m,” Ezechukwu told Tidesports source.

“Nigeria can be assured of my very best and my commitment to the Team. I would love to set a new personal best in Ghana, but anything that comes, I will take it. The spirit in the team is high, and I think we are ready to go,” she said.

Ezechukwu, who was part of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay squad at the World Relays in Botswana, said the experience gained from that competition has strengthened her mindset heading into the continental championships.

She admitted that she learned valuable lessons from her previous outing, including a difficult moment during the relay where an early error affected the team’s rhythm, but said she has used the experience to improve her discipline and composure.

“The secret is just being disciplined, training hard and trusting my coach and believing in God, and the result will show,” she added.

The teenager is part of a 41-member Nigerian team comprising 24 female and 17 male athletes competing at the championships, which begin today at the University of Ghana, Legon.

Nigeria are expected to compete across multiple track and field events as they aim for a strong finish against the continent’s elite athletes.