Sports

Wike’s Giant Strides In Rivers Sports

Published

8 years ago

December 27, 2017

Infrastructural development is no doubt a necessity for the transformation of any city or state. Massive rehabilitation, reconstruction and expansion of dilapidated and run down structures is one of the high points of the Rivers State Governor, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike (CON) GSSRS.
It is a known fact that the Governor has injected well over 50 percent of the State’s capital budget into the funding of very critical infrastructural developments and other projects.
The Governor’s passion to make a change, has seen his efforts bringing to the fore hitherto forgotten and neglected sectors of the state. The impact of his infrastructural development is being felt in virtually every sector of the state.
Since assuming office on May 29, 2015, Governor Wike, a visionary leader has greatly devoted himself to the positive transformation of Rivers State, which obviously occupies a valuable position in a strategic region.
He has, without minsing words, sparked an infrastructural revolution at a time when the Nigerian economy is greatly challenged.
The vision of His Excellency will be better appreciated when we take a critical look at various sectors and specific developmental data often glossed over or outrightly down played, by the populace.
We can safely say that rhetorical recourse to impress is not feasible, rather there are focused action with tangible and remarkable results for all to see, feel, touch and access.
All infrastructural projects, have direct relevance to the economical development and well being of the people of the state. Today, we are going to take a look at infrastructural Development in Sports.
Take for example the Alfred Diette Spiff Civic Centre and the Sharks Football Stadium and the facelift it is currently undergoing, is just one of the infrastructural developmental strides. Football before now was the sole sport that occupied the front burner for a long time, Sports no doubt is a strong unifying bond creator worldwide, even enemies share arena when it comes to football, and other sports. It does not in any way remove from the importance and beauty of other forms of sporting activities.
A very key point in social development is Sports Rivers State thankfully has a very proud sporting history and notable personalities, whose names have been written in the sands of time. We have names like Adokiye Amiesimaka, Richard Owubokiri, Taribo West Joseph Yobo boxers like Dokiwari Duncan; table tennis star like, Ethel Jack, sprinters like Iyingiyikabo, just to name a few. But for long every other sports slipped into limbo even football, was quite epileptic.
Worthy of note, were sports festivals and competitions amongst primary and secondary schools, which gave rise to sports stars, who were groomed to the highest height, but it all fizzled out, probably due to two major factors, one was financial sponsorship and second was the dilapidated structures due to lack of maintenance. Such facilities like the Alfred Diette Spiff Centre and, the basketball Court in town and even the Yakubu Gowon Stadium were no longer conducive for such sporting activities.
In the last two years though, there have been notable advancement in Sports development, particularly infrastructure and human development. The Shark Stadium is wearing a brand new look, swimming pool and all the other facilities in the complex have been renovated and reconstructed to standard to enhance sports development in the State. The Alfred Diette Spiff Sports Complex is under serious overhauling, to make it fit for hosting indoor sports competitions, besides its importance to sports, the added aesthetic effect on the environment is worthy of commendation.
There is also ongoing in the complex, the construction of a forty bed hostel for sports men and women.
The General Yakubu Gowon Stadium has also been renovated and put into use, it now boasts of a functional indoor sports hall, floodlights, male and female hostels, office blocks, twin volleyball courts, tennis court, a diving pool, an automated water treatment plant to power the pools, an Olympic size swimming pool.
This administration has sponsored a lot of sporting activities to boost sports development, it has also empowered the state contingents to attend sports competition nationally. The state contingent participated in the National Youth Games in Ilorin in 2016, Para-Table Tennis classification in Lagos 2016, Chief of Naval Staff Swimming Championship in Calabar, 2016, CBN Wheelchair Championship in Lagos 2016, Nigeria Boxing Federation Open Championship Lagos 2019 and in 2017, the Judo Cadet and Junior Tournament in Port Harcourt as well as Tyroll and Thompson South-South under 18 male/female Handball in Port Harcourt. But most recently is the Governor Nyesom Wike National Wrestling Championships, which was quite a fanfare.
Also enjoying the sports largesse are the various clubs and teams in the state. The first notable achievement was the merging of the two state owned football teams. The Sharks Football Club and The Dolphins Football Club into a formidable team which was aptly renamed the Rivers United Football Club. this move is not only cost effective but also, has eased stress in the management of the teams. There is now adequate funds to manage the teams effectively.
The backlog of salaries and allowances have also been paid to the teams.
The female football team was not left behind, as they enjoy improved funding for all their engagements, they boast of producing nine players for the National Female team that won the African Women Championship of 2016 in Cameroun.
The moribund State Government owned Basketball Club, was resuscitated and are currently in the prestigious division one of the National basketball league. The backlog of entitlements were also paid in full by his Excellency.
The Rivers State Sports Council has been greatly empowered to participate in various sports events as well as organise their own sporting activities.
Besides, empowering the state teams to attend sporting events, the state Governor has also sponsored sport activities and these include the sponsorship cum partnership in the Go-Round/SWAN Senior Secondary Schools Athletic Championship in 2016. The Joseph Yobo Testimonial Cum Centenary Games in 2016, Victor Ezeji Testimonial Games in 2016. He also sponsored as well as hosted several international football matches in the state, sponsored Bukina Faso and Nigeria nations Cup qualifier match as well as the hosting of Nigeria Super Eagles qualifying match against Swaziland, and also sponsored and hosted the National under twenty three Football team continental matches in addition to camping the team.
The first Rivers/Bayelsa Wrestling Championship was also sponsored by the Rivers State Government this year. The SWAN, South-South hosting is an added feather to the already beautiful cap of the State Government.
And most recently, the bid for the hosting rights for the Senior African Wrestling Championship for 2018, was sponsored and won by the State Government.
The past two years has witnessed outstanding achievements in the Sports sector of the state, following the massive rehabilitation work. To the various sports personnel and the Sports Commission, the phrase “catch them young,” will definitely come to play. The morale of the athletes and sports administrators alike, will be highly boosted, with this, the State can eventually win laurels and boost income generation, with its world class standard facilities.

Juliet Njiowhor

Sports

NDG: Rivers Coach Appeal To NDDC In Talent Discovery

Published

2 days ago

February 27, 2026

The Tide

Rivers State Chess coach Nnamso Umoren has appealed to relevant authorities, most especially the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), to provide funds for scouting of hidden talents at the grassroots.

He stated that lack of funds is hindering most coaches from doing what they are expected to do; hence, they don’t have enough money to travel to rural areas to discover talents.

Umoren made the appeal in an exclusive interview with Tidesports yesterday, in Benin, Edo State, shortly after the second edition of the Niger Delta Games drew her curtains closed.

According to him, without coaches no athlete can perform better, as coaches are the ones that teach athletes the techniques and rudiments of every sport.

“I appeal to the commission to support the coaches with funds to enable them to go to the areas and discover talents. Lack of funds for coaches limits the extent to which they can move around within the state in search of talents.

“I am of the general opinion that without coaches, athletes cannot perform better; hence, the coaches teach them the rudiments of the sports,” Umoren said.

The Chess coach called on the Rivers State government to organise tournaments in the State to know the strength of athletes discovered, saying that will improve sporting activities in the State.

However, he commends NDDC, who are the major sponsors of NDG, and Dumamis Icon Limited for close to perfect organisation.

Tonye Orabere

Sports

Rivers Sports Director Rates Niger Delta Games High

Published

2 days ago

February 27, 2026

The Tide

The Rivers State Director of Sports, Obia Inyingikabo has that the just concluded second edition of the Niger Delta Games, held in Benin, Edo State, was very impressive and well organised.

She commended both the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and Dumamis Icon Limited for the sponsorship and organisation respectively.

According to her, the problem of the team was the epileptic situation of shuttle buses, which was not under the direct control of the sports council.

Inyingikabo said this in a telephone interview with Tidesports yesterday; she confirmed that apart from the poor transport system for athletes, every arrangement went successfully as planned.

The director praised her athletes for making the State proud by winning gold, silver, and bronze medals during the games. She assured the people of Rivers State that in the next edition they will perform better and also used the opportunity to commend Rivers State promoting sports in the State.

Tonye Orabere

Sports

Treat Bees, Silkworms As Valuable Resources – Don

Published

2 days ago

February 27, 2026

The Tide

A Professor of Applied Entomology and Pest Management, at the Federal University of Technology Akure,(FUTA), Olufunmilayo Oladipo, has said insects such as bees ,houseflies silkworms and similar species should be seen and treated as valuable resources whose careful management could enhance food security, generate income, support industrial applications, and contribute significantly to Nigeria’s economic diversification.

Prof. Oladipo made the remark while delivering the 193rd Inaugural Lecture of the institution on Tuesday, February 24, 2026.

Citing the honeybee as a prime example, Oladipo noted that beyond honey production, bees provide beeswax, royal jelly, propolis and venom used in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, while their pollination services significantly increase crop yields and biodiversity.

She also referenced silkworms, whose silk supports textile industries and export earnings, as well as black soldier flies and houseflies, locusts, grasshoppers, mealworms and crickets which are increasingly used in the production of high-protein livestock and aquaculture feeds, thereby reducing dependence on expensive imported feed ingredients.

Speaking on the topic, “Six-Legged Arthropods: Food Security, Health and National Economic Development,” Professor Oladipo highlighted the multiple contributions of insects to national development in a monolithic economy like Nigeria, where over-dependence on crude oil has limited diversification.

She pointed out that insects serve as food for humans and feed for livestock, provide income for households through apiculture, sericulture, and insect-based enterprises, and supply raw materials for pharmaceutical and industrial uses. Beneficial insects also enhance food security through nutrient recycling, biological control of harmful species and weeds, and pollination of crops and horticultural plants, resulting in bumper harvests and increased biodiversity.

Professor Oladipo further mentioned termites and dung beetles for their role in nutrient recycling and soil aeration, improving soil fertility and agricultural productivity. Ladybird beetles and parasitic wasps, she explained, serve as natural biological control agents, reducing populations of destructive pests without harming the environment.

In the area of public health, Oladipo declared that though “the economic toll of insect vectors is staggering, stretching from the household to national economy, thereby undermining productivity, draining family resources, and constraining national growth, certain insects negatively affect agriculture, public health, and livelihoods”.

The professor pointed to the importance of understanding mosquitoes and other disease vectors such as tsetse flies, whose management is critical in combating malaria, yellow fever, dengue, sleeping sickness and other vector-borne diseases that weaken workforce productivity and strain national resources.

She cited data showing that malaria alone costs Africa over 12 billion dollars annually in healthcare expenditures, lost productivity, and reduced investment. Beyond mortality, she emphasized, insect-borne diseases also contribute to morbidity, chronic disability, and reduced workforce efficiency, imposing heavy burdens on families, health systems, and national economies.

She referenced maggot therapy, currently practiced in teaching hospitals in Kano, as a safe and effective treatment for chronic diabetic wounds adding that bioactive compounds from fungus-insect complexes such as Bombyx batryticatus and Beauveria bassiana, which have been developed into medicines with anticonvulsant, anticancer, antifungal, anticoagulant, and hypolipidemic properties.

Weaver ants, bee venom, and cantharidin from blister beetles, she stated, also possess therapeutic value, including immune-boosting, anti-diabetic, anti-arthritic, and antiviral applications. She maintained that strategic government investment in entomotherapy could strengthen healthcare delivery, reduce pharmaceutical import dependence, save lives, and support national economic diversification.

According to her, these examples demonstrate that insects are not merely pests to be eradicated but strategic biological assets that, if properly managed, can enhance food security, strengthen public health systems, generate employment, and support Nigeria’s economic diversification agenda.

The Agric expert noted however, that certain pest species continue to pose threats to agriculture and public health, thereby negatively affecting economic growth. She stressed that proper management, rather than indiscriminate eradication, is key to maximizing the benefits of these six-legged resources.

Professor Oladipo advocated integrated pest management strategies that prioritize environmentally friendly approaches, including botanicals, pheromones, biological control agents, growth regulators, and semiochemicals, while minimizing the use of broad-spectrum synthetic insecticides.

She warned that excessive reliance on chemicals has resulted in resistance, environmental pollution, and harm to non-target organisms. She also called for stricter regulation of pesticide importation and usage under professional supervision, and for stronger surveillance by regulatory authorities to prevent the introduction of exotic pest species.

To strengthen Nigeria’s capacity in entomology, she urged the government to support insect rearing and the conservation of beneficial species and to establish more Departments of Entomology in universities.

On the benefits of insects, she stressed the need for shifting societal perceptions and promoting sustainable practices, calling for stronger linkages between universities and industries to translate research findings into practical applications and commercial opportunities.

Professor Oladipo further appealed for increased funding for research and for targeted support for brilliant but indigent students in science-based disciplines, emphasizing that nurturing the next generation of entomologists and agricultural scientists is critical for national development.

Presenting the inaugural lecturer, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Adenike Oladiji, FAS, who was represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Development), Professor Sunday Oluyamo, described Professor Oladipo as a distinguished scholar whose research has significantly advanced the field of entomology and strengthened FUTA’s academic and research profile.

The Vice Chancellor who described the lecture as ‘timely’, given Nigeria’s challenges in food security, public health, and economic diversification, commended the inaugural lecturer’s scholarly depth, resilience, and dedication to mentoring students, reaffirming FUTA’s commitment to research that addresses pressing national development priorities.