Sports
Holiday Camp: Navy Introduces Golf Skills For Children
Master Henry Harry has
emerged the overall winner of the first edition of the Sealord’s Children Golf Holiday Camp tournament while little Miss Sele Choji finished second best of the championship.
The Golf championship which started on the 20th of August was the first Edition of the Sealord’s Children Golf Holiday Camp Tournament, organized by the Eastern Naval Command of the Nigerian Navy Pathfinder, Port Harcourt.
Speaking during the closing ceremony of the event at the Nigerian Navy Pathfinder, Rumuorlumini, Rivers State, last Saturday, the Executive Officer and Commander NNS Pathfinder, Victor Choji said, the event was put to get to engage the children in sports activities and also direct the children energies towards constructive activities that would enable them be useful to the society and themselves in future.
Choji said the Sealord Golf club organized the clinic for children for two reasons, one for civil military and the other was for military security.
The Commander explained that the civil military was because the children were on holidays and the command felt that it is necessary to engage them constructively and to introduce them to sports, especially golf.
According to him, ‘’ In so doing, we may be winning the heart and minds of the host community and also, the children will in future look back and say they all started playing golf at the Sealord’s Golf Club.
‘’ The second reason which is the military security is that there is always a soft approach to any military activities, and therefore we believed that most of the criminal acts that take parts in this part of the country are perpetrated by the youths. If we catch them young and make them develop interest in the game of Golf, they will have more constructive activities to engage themselves on as they grow up rather than criminal activities as we have it now’’, he said.
Choji said rank and officers of the Nigerian Navy have several sporting activities they engage in, but this tournament was for the children and there is no barrier whether they are children of military officers or not.
The commander assured that he would sustain the game and also pray that the future commanders and Executive officers of the base would continue to sustain the tournament in future because it will help build a stronger relationship between the military, civilians and the host community.
In his remark, the special Guest of Honour, the Manager, Amni International Petroleum, Ishaku Malik commended the command for the initiative and assured his company’s assistance to sustain the tournament.
According to him,’’ We are one of the corporate organizations that assisted in opening the base and the golf club we shall do everything to see that this good idea is sustained’’.
the tournament in future, adding that this championship if sustained would product professional golfers for the country.
It would be recalled that 75 children participated in the tournament as various gift items including laptops were won by the children ages from 5 to 15 years.
Others that won prizes include Sele Choji, Joshua Onyekachi, Damilala, Cliton Okoji, Abbasi Okomi and Henry Harry.
Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, in Rivers State, will be at the centre stage on Wednesday as the VC Cup final, both male and female categories will be played at the prestigious Stadium in the school.
The both final matches promises to be exciting, as arrangements have been concluded to watch one of the best VC football Cup finals in the history.
VC Cup tournament is an annual sporting event that involves all students in various facilities.
According to the Chief coach of the University football team, David Egbiri, the female will final will kick off 2pm between faculty of Human Kinetics and Management Sciences, while the male will kick off by 4pm between Social Science and Natural Applied Science
Egbiri, who was former coach of Abiola Babe FC and Concord FC, lauded the Vice Chancellor. Prof. Okechukwu Onuchukwu for releasing funds on sports development, saying that he has never also failed the School in terms of infrastructural development.
“The VC who is also a sports personality has not failed to release funds for this tournament, apart from that he has not also disappointed in terms of developing the school in all ramifications.
“I want to say that my major reason for accepting to coach the school football team is to develop the youth through sports”, Coach Egbiri said.
The former Eagle Cement Coach, explained that he was not encouraged the way and manner the young ones are going about sports because there is no discipline and so much quest for quick money.
” Honestly, the way young players are looking money was just too much. Looking for short cuts always to make money that is more reason some of them don’t go far and end up badly
” In our days we first of all think about how to make name and we are passionate about it. I went to school and saw myself in sports, while my initial intention was to read electrical engineering” he stated.
Tonye Orabere
The Delta State Sports Commission has come under scrutiny following the state’s disappointing performance at the just-concluded National Youth Games (NYG) in Asaba, where Lagos dethroned Delta to clinch top spot.
Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, visibly displeased with both the poor outing of Team Delta and the organizational lapses witnessed during the Games, summoned an emergency meeting with the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) immediately after the closing ceremony.
Delta, which had dominated the NYG by finishing first in the last eight editions, only managed second place this time — a result the governor described as “totally unacceptable,” especially given the state’s significant investment in the event.
According to a reliable source privy to the meeting, Governor Oborevwori expressed deep disappointment, stressing that his administration had provided all necessary support to the Sports Commission and the LOC to ensure Delta retained its traditional top position.
In a decisive move, the governor demoted his Executive Assistant on Sports and former Director-General of the Sports Commission, Festus Owhojero, under whose leadership the Games were organized. Owhojero was reassigned from Executive Assistant (EA) to Senior Special Assistant (SSA) with immediate effect.
The governor’s action, our source revealed, reflects his zero-tolerance stance on incompetence and underperformance within his administration. Mr. Owhojero thus becomes the first high-profile casualty of the governor’s resolve to reposition sports in Delta State.
Furthermore, Oborevwori directed the Sports Commission and LOC officials to submit a detailed report on the Games, outlining what went wrong and providing recommendations for improvement. The governor emphasized the need for urgent reforms to restore Delta’s dominance, especially as the state is set to host the next edition of the Games under an existing memorandum of understanding (MoU).
The Nigeria Football Federation has distanced itself from a post-match statement that criticised some Super Eagles players following the team’s 1-1 draw with South Africa in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier.
The statement, issued by the NFF’s Director of Communications, Ademola Olajire, singled out forward Cyriel Dessers and captain William Troost-Ekong for criticism.
It accused Dessers of being sluggish and faulted Ekong for the own goal that gave Bafana Bafana the lead.
However, NFF General Secretary, Mohammed Sanusi, said on Wednesday that the statement did not represent the official position of the Federation.
“I saw the release just like everyone else did. Nobody in the Federation is happy with it,” Sanusi said.
“The NFF did not authorise that statement. We have great respect for all the players. Blaming an individual for a team result is unfair.”
He added that the Federation regards the South Africa match as a collective effort and will not support attempts to scapegoat any player.
“When we win, it’s a team victory. When we lose, it’s also collective. No player should be singled out,” Sanusi said.
He described the targeted criticism of Troost-Ekong as unjustified, noting that the defender had previously been celebrated as the Most Valuable Player at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Côte d’Ivoire.
“It was an unfortunate own goal. His intention was to clear the ball. Anyone who knows football understands that such things happen,” he said..
Sanusi also expressed confidence in the team’s unity, revealing that efforts were ongoing to regroup and refocus ahead of the remaining qualifiers and AFCON.
“Our house is in order. We’re preparing for the rest of the qualifiers and the AFCON in Morocco,” he said.
“There’s no problem with our players or coaching crew. Our relationship remains cordial. The government and the NFF are proud of the players’ efforts.”
The Federation had initially praised Calvin Bassey for his equalising goal and lamented the team’s failure to convert second-half chances.
But Sanusi made it clear that internal disciplinary action would be taken over the unauthorised release.
“I can assure you the NFF will take action on the matter,” he said.
Nigeria currently sit third in Group C of the CAF World Cup qualifiers with 11 points from eight matches. South Africa lead the group with 17 points.
The Super Eagles must now win their remaining games against Lesotho and Benin Republic and hope other results go their way to secure qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.