Connect with us

Sports

Rivers At 50: Entertainment, Arts And Culture

Published

on

Located in the South-South geo-political zone of Nigeria, Rivers State, the Treasure Base of the country was created on May 27, 1967 by the General Yakubu Gowon’s administration. The state is presently divided into 23 local government areas with diverse ethnic nationalities, distinct languages and age-long cultural heritage.
Today, the state is known across the country and beyond as the hub of oil and gas activities and home for the second busiest seaport in Nigeria; her unique culture, peaceful co-existence and legendary hospitality stand her out among the rest of the states.
As the State celebrates her Golden Jubilee of success, peace, unity and even development under the people-oriented administration of the amiable golden governor, Chief (Barr) Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, it is important to reflect on the past laudable achievements of the state in the last 50 solid years of eventful existence. This will be incomplete without the contributions of our indigenous entertainers whose exploits have turned them into stars and celebrities of international repute viz-a viz movies, music, comedy, tourism, arts and culture.
Movies
In Nigeria’s movie industry popularly known as Nollywood, Rivers State indigenes are not playing second fiddle, rather the state boasts of leading stars in the make believe industry. Since the emergence of Nollywood in 1992, Rivers State has contributed immensely towards its development and global recognition. It is on record that most of the leading stars in the industry passed through the state on their way to stardom, graduating from the Theatre Arts Department of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT). Apart from that, indigenes of the state also hold sway in the industry which today comes just behind  Hollywood of America and Bollywood of India.
Some of these indigenous stars who have made the state proud include: Ibinabo Fiberesima, President, Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), former Glo Ambassador, Monalisa Chinda-Coker, Nollywood screen goddess, Tonto Dike, celebrated Nollywood costumier and AMAA Award Winner, Amb. Milliscent Jack, Maureen Ihua, etc. Also on parade are veteran actors and producers such as Dr Sam Dede, Columbus Irosoanga, Prince Tonye Princewill, Gentle Jack, Walter Anga, Alaso Wariboko and former state chairman of Association of Movie Producers, Engr Reginald Orlu, among others. The State has a good number of cinema houses where most of their movies are premiered such as Silverbird Cinemas, Genesis De Luxe, The Film House, etc.
Music
The development of modern music and dance in the state has its foundation in the culture and traditions of the various communities. These communities have their unique music and dance patterns which they use in entertaining themselves and important guests or to celebrate important cultural events. Rivers State remains a state to be reckoned with in the Nigerian Music Industry as she has produced some of the veteran highlife musicians who have distinguished themelves locally and interenationally such as cardinal Rex Lawson, King Sunny Brown, Prince David Bull and Jackwest Omodu of the defunct Garden City Band, all of blessed memories and the Great Sinya among others.
It is obvious that today, the number of stakeholders in the music industry in the state is ever increasing. Most of the present day artistes are enjoying corporate sponsorships and endorsement deals for their unique talents. Some have recorded unprecedented album sales sometimes running into hundreds of thousands of copies, others have  won prizes and prestigious awards in international contests and other events, hence attracting more investments from many sources.
Some of these modern indigenous artistes are Daniel Wilson, Duncan Mighty, Muma Gee, Lexy M, Lady IB, Peter Stone Cold, Kikis, Oba Omega, Sotty Horsefall and Robin Maja, current state chairman of the Performing Musicians Employers Association of  Nigeria (PMAN) among others. These stars have left indelible footprints in the Nigerian Music Clan and the international community.
Comedy
In the comedy clan, the state has produced the best of the humour merchants the country could boast of, who have paid their dues in the industry. Gone are the days when comedy was regarded as a pastime of the unserious, the uneducated and jesters who were paid pittance for their folly. Today, comedy has  transformed into a big business, turning its practitioners into millionaires and throwing up a huge industry with several direct investment opportunities and support services.
Among the wave-making indigenous comedians are Julius Agwu, Prince Hezekiah, Dan D’ Humerous, Angel D’ Laugh, Rugged Pastor, Yibo Koko, Micheal Ogolo, Iyowuna Obomanu, Basorge Tariah, late Boma Erekosima and several others. These rib crackers have metamorphosed from mere clowns who were paid peanuts into millionaires.
It is also on record that within the past years, the state has distinguished herself as a centre of arts, culture and tourism in the country as showcased in the various achievements recorded so far.
Arts
Arts generally refers to the use of imagination to express ideas or feelings particularly in paintings, drawings, sculpture and literary works.
The high quality works of Arts in the State represent the evidence of early civilisation and ancestral cultural heritage of the people, patronised by tourists, royal fathers and wealthy personalities in society.
Some of these works include swords, scepters, royal drums, various royal regalia, carvings, iron and marble objects etc. The Rivers State landscape appears to be incomplete without works of art. Most public places and museums are adorned with artistic works that tell tourists about the dominant cultural heritage, values and activities of the people of Rivers State. Art exhibitions are held regularly to promote these works. There are also art galleries that showcase the various art works. This sector is also a source of tourist attractions and revenue to the state.
Culture
The Nigerian government in September 1988 launched the national cultural policy. The policy defines culture as “the totality of the way of life evolved by people in their attempt to meet the challenges in their environment which gives order, meaning to their environment, social, political and economic aesthetics and religious norms and mode of organisation, thus distinguishing a people from their neighbours”.
The Rivers State Ministry of Culture and Tourism has the mandate to put in place programmes and events that will attract international, national and local tourists to savour the rich cultural activities and tourist sites for relaxation and education as well as promote the diverse cultural heritage of Rivers people and identify and develop  the tourism potentials of the state as a means of job creation and wealth generation, as well as inculcate pride and dignity in our local artwork and cultural values. This is to establish and brand Rivers State a choice destination for cultural tourism beside oil and gas.
Some of the age-long cultural activities of the state include the annual Opobo International Boat Regatta, the Nwaotam Festival celebrated every 25th of December to welcome the new year and to eliminate the bad spirits of the previous year, celebrated by Opobo, Bonny and other communities of the state. There is also the Oki Festival, a ceremonial dance festival of the Kalabari Clan of the State, the “owu aru sun alali” of Kalabari was celebrated on 30th and 31s January 2009, performed by the Ekine Sekiapu Society.
It is  a series of masquerades, it was celebrated in Buguma City previously in 1908, 1927, 1973 and 1991 by the Ekine Sikiapu under the leadership of the OPU Edi. Tradition has it that various masquerades are owned by both the community and the group of compounds which usually last between 15 to 20 years. Another important festival of the people of the State is yam festival. In most communities of the State, yam festivals are celebrated to mark the harvest period after which the people are free to eat the new yams complemented by delicious delicacies amidst the legendary hospitality and goodwill of the people. Musical instruments are usually rolled out in such occasions as well as wrestling contests to entertain the people and visitors alike.
Rivers State is also blessed with literary icons. Writers all over the world are regarded as cultural engineers of society because they help to create and lubricate the fabrics of society through their creativity. Rivers State has enjoyed greater patronage since the creation of the state, a leading example of the indigenous literary gurus is late Captain Elechi Amadi who wrote several novels and plays including The Concubine, The Great Ponds, Isiburu etc. These are best sellers that have succeeded in highlighting the culture and tradition of the state. The annual Garden City literary festival holds in the month of September to celebrate literature and arts in the state and many literary gurus attend the event.

Jacob Obinna

Continue Reading

Sports

Former Champion Seeks Title Defence At Para Table Tennis Tourney

Published

on

Former African champion Faith Ugwueke has expressed her ambitions for the seventh edition of the Valuejet Lagos Para Table Tennis Open which is holding at the Molade Okoya Thomas Sports Hall of the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere.

The 2006 Commonwealth Games silver medallist spoke to Tidesports source her desire to defend her para singles title in the women’s category and to also secure a qualification berth for both the regional West Africa para table tennis event in Abeokuta in September and the continental championship billed to hold in Cairo, Egypt in November.

The multiple Paralympian said, “My expectation is to come out great at this wonderful tournament and to qualify for the forthcoming tournament that is coming up in Nigeria and Egypt in September and November. Last tournament, I won the singles. I won three golds at the last ValueJet tournament. And I want to believe and hope that I will maintain my position by coming in first position.”

Ugwueke had featured in the para event at the 56th Molade Okoya-Thomas National Table Tennis Championships, held at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in January, where she suffered a stunning defeat to eventual finalist and tournament runner-up Taiye Oyinloye, who in turn was beaten 3-1 (11-3, 7-11, 11-6, 11-9) by Commonwealth Games medallist, Kate Oputa, to become the women’s class 1-5 champion.

The ValueJet Lagos Para table tennis Open, which is in its seventh edition, is an event sanctioned by the governing body ITTF Africa and put together by the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation in partnership with Lagos State Sports Commission.

The event will come to a close on July 11, with the competition serving as qualifiers for the country’s players for the regional tournament in Abeokuta.

A total of 98 athletes—57 men and 41 women—from Nigeria, Benin Republic, and Togo are competing in the singles events.

Notable performances have come from Alabi, Agunbiade, Ogunkunle, and Commonwealth Games medallists Kate Oputa and Faith Obazuaye, who have showcased their class against emerging talents across various classifications.

Their presence has intensified the battle for podium finishes, with top seeds asserting dominance in their respective singles events.

Continue Reading

Sports

Nigerian Athletes Serving Doping Bans

Published

on

The Athletics Integrity Unit continues to take a hard stance against doping violations across the globe, and Nigeria has not been spared. Below are ten Nigerian athletics serving doping ban Imaobong Nse Uko (July 2026)

The AIU announced in the June 2025 sanctions list on July 1 that 21-year-old quarter-miler Uko was found guilty of an anti-doping rule violation committed on June 5 2024. Her infraction falls under whereabouts failures, having missed three tests within a 12-month period.

The AIU confirmed that her period of ineligibility will run until 23 July 2026 and all results recorded from the date of the infraction have been officially disqualified.

Uko rose to fame after clinching three gold medals at the 2021 World U-20 Championships in Nairobi, winning the women’s 400 metres, 4x400m relay, and the mixed 4x400m relay.

Stephen Eloji (June 2028)

Sprinter and hurdler Stephen Eloji tested positive for dehydrochloromethyl-testosterone in an out-of-competition test in Nigeria on May 2, 2024 and has been handed a four-year ban by the AIU.

The 25-year-old was active in the American collegiate circuit, recording strong performances in the 110m hurdles and relay events as recently as April 2024, including at the Pepsi Florida Relays and Music City Challenge.

Ada Princess Bright (September 2027)

Ada Princess Bright is serving a four-year ineligibility period after testing positive for Metenolone during the National Athletics Trials held on July 6 2023 in Benin City.

She had an active season prior to her suspension, competing in national meets in Lagos, Uyo, and Benin, and earning a relay gold at the African U20 Championships in Ndola, Zambia.

Grace Nwokocha (August 2025)

Nwokocha is serving a three-year ban after testing positive for SARMS substances including Ostarine and Ligandrol during the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

The fallout was significant, as Nigeria was stripped of its women’s 4x100m relay gold medal at the Games. Prior to her suspension, she had qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, posted a personal best of 11.00s in the 100m, and reached the semi-finals in the 100m and 200m at the 2022 World Athletics Championships. She is ineligible to compete until 2 August 2025.

Yinka Ajayi (January 2030)

Ajayi, a 400m specialist and one-time Olympic representative, is currently serving an extended eight-year ban for multiple anti-doping violations.

The first sanction, issued after she tested positive for Metenolone in an out-of-competition test in Iowa, USA, led to a four-year ban starting in December 2021. However, further findings of tampering led to an additional four-year penalty in 2024, extending her suspension until January 25 2030.

Glory Okon (January 2026)

Glory Okon is serving a four-year ban for testing positive for Metenolone following an out-of-competition test conducted on December 2 2021 in Nigeria.

She previously won gold in the 400 metres at the 2019 African U-20 Championships in Abidjan and featured prominently at the 2021 National Sports Festival in Benin City.

Blessing Okagbare (July 2031)

Once the face of Nigerian athletics, Okagbare is now serving a 10-year ban following multiple anti-doping rule violations. She tested positive for human growth hormone and EPO in an out-of-competition test in June 2021.

Her suspension came while competing at the Tokyo Olympics and was announced in February 2022. It was later extended by an additional year in June 2022 due to further breaches.

Divine Oduduru (February 2029)

Oduduru’s  career was derailed by anti-doping violations linked to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. On October 12 2023, a Disciplinary Tribunal of the AIU imposed a six-year ban on Oduduru after he was found guilty of possessing and attempting to use prohibited substances and methods. The case stemmed from the wider investigation into Eric Lira, the first individual convicted under the US Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act, who supplied banned substances to athletes, including Okagbare, ahead of the Tokyo Games.

Oduduru’s ban is effective from February 9, 2023 and will run until February 8, 2029.

Henry Azike (Lifetime ban)

Azike is one of two Nigerian athletes currently serving a lifetime ban after testing positive for Metenolone, an anabolic steroid. His case was classified as a second ADRV, automatically triggering a lifetime suspension from the sport.

Azike last competed in 2011, including at the Doha Amir Cup and Nigerian Championships in Calabar.

Vivian Chukwuemeka (Lifetime ban)

Two-time Olympian and African shot put record holder Vivian Chukwuemeka is serving a lifetime ban for a second doping offence after testing positive for Stanozolol at the 2012 National Championships in Calabar.

The 2002 Commonwealth Games champion and multiple-time African gold medallist had previously served a two-year ban following a 2009 positive test. Her personal best of 18.43m remains the African record in women’s shot put.

Continue Reading

Sports

Eagles B Players Admit Pressure For CHAN Qualification 

Published

on

EAGLES B PLAYERS
Pix: Super Eagles B players at the training session. 

Invited players into the Super Eagles B camp ahead of the rescheduled African Nations Championship tournament are feeling the pressure of selection, three days into their training camp at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne, Ogun State.

The eighth CHAN tournament is taking place in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda between August 2 to 20.

Ahead of the tournament, head coach Eric Chelle had invited an initial 35 players to camp and they began training on Monday with 21 players.

Five more players arrived on Tuesday to take the number to 26 while 28 players trained on Wednesday morning with the rest expected before the end of the week.

Captain of the team through the qualifiers, Junior Nduka, spoke about the intensity of the sessions and the jostle to make the final squad.

“Everybody is under pressure but definitely the coaches want the best among the 35 players,” Nduka said.

River United and former Flying Eagles forward, Aniekeme Okon, also admitted the pressure.

“It puts pressure on us, 35 players being invited, everybody is going to give out their best with an expectation of being selected. So we keep pushing.”

Ikorodu City defender, Leonard Ngenge also said, “Obviously, it puts everyone under pressure even myself. But I just need to do my best to be on the coaches’ radar.”

Nigeria, the 2018 runners-up, are in group D of the 19-team tournament, alongside Cup holders Senegal, Sudan and Congo.

The Super Eagles B will play their first two matches of the competition, against Senegal and Sudan, at the Amman Stadium on the island of Zanzibar, before taking on Congo at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam.

Nigeria has never won the tournament, having finished third at the 2014 edition in South Africa before losing the final against hosts Morocco four years later.

 

Continue Reading

Trending