Sports
Royal Father Tasks Govt On Sports Dev
A Sports Philanthropist
and royal father in Rivers State, Eze Sylvanus Adima Ogbueri, has charged the three tiers of government and all stakeholders in the sector to harness the full potentials which abound in Nigeria sports.
Ogbueri who is the Onwa of Omuma and founder of Onwa Essence Football Club, said the world has so much space for Nigerian youth in all spheres of sports events but regretted that the potential young energies were being allowed to spill over to anti-social activities.
The royal father who spoke to The Tidesports in an interview yesterday stressed the need for the 23 local government areas in Rivers State to give sports especially, soccer a priority.
According to him, apart from agriculture, sports remain a lucrative sector to engage the youth.
He said: “it will give the talented youngmen and women opportunity to excel, earn fabulous income as well as foreign exchange for the country”.
While commending the Rivers State Governor, Barr. Nyesom Wike for initiating the amnesty programme, Eze Ogbueri urged the governor to develop a blue print for sports development in the state.
According to him, some of the youth who surrendered arms because of the programme would be immediately engaged in meaningful activities as sports to avoid relapse which is dangerous for their future.
“Each of the 23 local government areas must have soccer clubs to compete in the state and from the tournament, the state would be producing talents to take over so much space in the globe because soccer rules the modern world, he stated.
Ogbueri who presented three trophies at the “All Primary and Secondary Schools Sports competition in Omuma”, held recently, said he would continue to appreciate and support sports development.
“Sports means unity, sports means employment, sports means wealth creation and it also engenders peacefull development in any society, hence I will never stop investing in sports”, he said.
Eze Ogbueri charged youth to take advantage of agriculture and sports to make their marks in life and to shun anti-social activities as cultism, violence, kidnapping, armed robbery.
While lauding Governor Wike for the amnesty initiative, Ogbueri urged the Governor to help find ways of engaging those who surrendered their arms.
Chris Oluoh/Obusele Mirian
Viktor Gyokeres scored twice as Arsenal comfortably beat Sunderland to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table to nine points.
The Gunners looked like they were going to be frustrated by a well organised Sunderland defence before Martin Zubimendi’s excellent strike beat Robin Roefs, after hitting the post.
Sunderland did cause problems, with Brian Brobbey unsettling the Arsenal backline with his physicality and the forward had a shot cleared off the line by Kai Havertz after keeper David Raya fumbled a long ball into the area.
Declan Rice and Havertz went close with curling strikes before substitute Gyokeres slammed the ball into the net after being teed up by Havertz in the 66th minute.
The Swedish international then finished into an empty net in stoppage time after Gabriel Martinelli rolled the ball across the box to him.
After Aston Villa’s draw with Bournemouth and Manchester City not in action until yesterday afternoon, the victory adds more pressure on Arsenal’s title rivals.
Nigeria’s Chukwuebuka Enekwechi began his 2026 season with victory at the Orlen Cup in ?ód?, producing a dominant 20.82m throw to win the men’s shot put at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Silver meeting in Poland, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The Africa record holder finished ahead of Romania’s Andrei Toader, who placed second with 20.55m, while Serbia’s Armin Sinan?evi? took third on 19.93m.
Poland’s Szymon Mazur, the best-placed home athlete, finished fourth with 19.69m, with Italy’s Nick Ponzio completing the top five on 19.58m.
The rest of the field was headed by Piotr Go?dziewicz (18.02m), Jakub Korejba (17.55m), Wojciech Marok (17.48m), Damian Rodziak (17.23m) and Ukraine’s Maksym Lebediuk (15.75m).
Enekwechi’s winning mark gave him a clear margin over the field and underlined his status as one of world’s leading throwers, as he laid down an early marker for the new campaign in his traditional season-opening competition.
The result also marked an improvement shift in his Orlen Cup history. This was his third consecutive appearance at the meeting and his third straight season opener with the event, having previously finished second in 2024 with 21.14m and again in 2025 with 20.88m.
On this occasion, he converted consistency into victory, finally standing on the top step of the podium in ?ód?.
Enekwechi is the reigning two-time African champion in the shot put, a silver medallist at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and a two-time African Games champion, having won titles in 2019 and 2023.
His performance in Poland continues a career trajectory that has established him as Nigeria’s leading figure in the event and one of the continent’s most reliable performers on the global circuit.
The women’s competition at the meeting was won by Poland’s Zuzanna Ma?lana.
With the 2026 season now under way, Enekwechi’s opening victory at the Orlen Cup sets an early tone for the year ahead, as he builds momentum towards major continental and international championships.
The next edition of the Orlen Cup is scheduled to take place in ?ód? in February 2027.
Tanzanian giants Simba have opened discussions over a potential move for Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali as they look to reinforce their squad following an injury to first-choice shot-stopper Moussa Camara, Tidesports source reports.
The 29-year-old, who plays for South Africa Premiership side Chippa United, is in the final six months of his contract and is eligible to enter pre-contract negotiations with foreign clubs.
Foot Africa reported that Simba are exploring the possibility of bringing Nwabali to Dar es Salaam either during the current window or on a free transfer at the end of the season, although no agreement has been reached.
“Sources have indicated that Simba are in active talks with the player’s camp in a bid to lure him to Dar es Salaam in the ongoing window or on a free transfer – but no agreement reached,” Foot Africa reported.
Simba’s interest has been accelerated by Camara’s knee injury, which prompted the club to move quickly to sign Mahamadou Tanja Kassila from Niger’s AS FAN.
The club are reportedly considering deregistering Camara to accommodate the new foreign signing, a situation that has frustrated the Guinea international, who has asked for the remaining six months of his contract to be terminated.
In their search for a longer-term solution, Simba identified Nwabali as a prime target, although formal negotiations with his club have yet to begin.
“Simba identified Nwabali as the ideal successor to Camara, but the club is yet to submit a formal bid to Chippa United, who are open to offers,” Foot Africa added.
Nwabali’s profile has continued to rise following his performances for Nigeria, most notably at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, where he kept four clean sheets in seven matches as the Super Eagles secured a bronze medal.
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