Rivers United FC Replaces Sharks, Dolphins

A new football club,
Rivers United FC has emerged from the merger of Sharks and Dolphins FCs of Port Harcourt as the club side of Rivers State.
This follows the decision of Rivers State government, the sponsor of former Sharks and Dlophins FCs to collapse the erstwhile two clubs into one and work towards making it a top and best side in the Nigerian League.
Making the development official in a press briefing last Friday, Rivers State. Commissioner for Sports, Hon. Boma Iyaye said that after carefully studying the recommendations of a six-man committee led by Chief Adokiye Amiesimaka, appointed to re-organise the state owned football clubs, the state decided as follows;
“That based on current economic challenges facing the nation at large, it cannot continue to sponsor two football teams in the Nigerian Football League, that if its resources are properly harnessed and concentrated in sponsoring one team, the state will benefit more, therefore, the two football teams owned and sponsored by the state are hereby disbanded and merged to form one strong football team”.
Hon. Iyaye also said that government agreed to adopt Rivers United FC of Port Harcourt as the name of the new team. The name, according to him, is aimed at enhancing unity, particularly among Rivers people and fostering a united community identity with the football club. He stated that all assets and liabilities of former Sharks and Dolphins FCs have been taken over by the new team.
Rivers United FC has its motto and slogan as ‘United through Football’ and ‘to be the foremost football club in Nigeria’, respectively.
It will be recalled that Sharks FC was relegated from the Premier  League to the lower division, the Nation-wide league at the end of last season.
Meanwhile, the Sports Commissioner also disclosed that Rivers State government and its partners in Sports development had agreed to sponsor Joseph Yobo’s Centenary Games/Testimonial Match on the 28th of May this year and that Port Harcourt would host the game.
Yobo, a Rivers man was the Captain of the national team, Super Eagles and the first Nigerian player to garner a hundred caps for the Super Eagles.