Sports

Pinnick Thumbs Up Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium

Published

6 years ago

November 4, 2020

The President of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, has described the renovated Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin as a “world class” edifice.
Pinnick made the comment on Monday in Benin during an inspection tour of the facility, and added that it had undergone tremendous improvement since the last time he visited.
Tidesports source gathered that Pinnick was led on the inspection by the Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria are scheduled to play their 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against the Leone Stars of Sierra Leone at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium on November 13, 2020.
Pinnick said his visit was to see things for himself so as to report to members of the NFF Executive Committee.
He said: “There is a tremendous improvement compared to the last time I came, the turf is very brilliant, it’s what you see in world class facilities. I thank the government of Edo State for this facility and we are proud of this achievement.
“The Super Eagles can’t wait to come and play in the state. I’ m in touch with the players, who are all excited to be here to play for the country, especially Ahmed Musa, the captain of the team, whose mother is from Edo State and he is anxious to play for the nation and his state.
“The NFF will move into the state on November 9, while the players will start arriving from November 11 and after the game make preparations to fly to Sierra Leone on Friday or Saturday after the game.
“I will communicate all I have seen here to the Ministry of Youths and Sports and also the Executive Committee. I am happy with what we have seen here today and the Super Eagles will be playing here for a long time.
“We are also going to bring the Super Falcons here to play; they are the most successful team in Africa, you know this is home, like I told you, I made a promise on behalf of the federation, that is promise kept.
“And also, we have always been thankful to Edo State government for being there for Nigeria football federation, and we thank them for that generosity at every point in time because these are very sensitive times.
“We are also working because they have been a lot of people coming into the stadium, we have to observe the COVID-19 protocol to the letter. They have written to us officially, this is about 15, 000 sitting capacity stadium.
“They want about 6,000 to 7, 000 where they will sit out to observe social distancing, so we are going to look at it, we will send a letter to the ministry and also send a letter to Presidential Task Force, once we get the approval within the next two days we will send.
“I have already spoken to CAF, we will send a representative of CAF and I will want a situation whereby people will see decent crowd in the stadium in a very competitive game in Edo.
“We are working towards reducing every mistake humanly and materially possible and ensure we have success.
“The team is like coming home to meet your brother but we will just quietly beat them home and away.”
On the newly-installed Video Assistant Referee (VAR) equipment in the stadium, Pinnick said he had told Governor Godwin Obaseki and his deputy Shaibu to showcase whatever facilities they have in the stadium.
“You have to showcase whatever facilities you have in Samuel Ogbemudia stadium, we have to write to CAF for approval of the usage of the VAR, but we are very excited about it,” he said.
In his remarks, Shaibu assured that the state was excited to host its first international game in the newly-renovated stadium.
“That was what it was intended to achieve, to have both national and international games here, and we are also excited that in the course of building this stadium, we followed international standards.
“We were all in touch with NFF while we were building the stadium to also guide us with all the FIFA necessary facilities we need to put in place.
“What we have here today is an international standard stadium and we are excited that we are having this game here, and don’t forget that we are having a game in this period of COVID-19 pandemic.
“You know that COVID-19 task force in the state is very strong and they are already being recruited to be part of this game so we are going to make sure that COVID-19 protocols are observed in line with international best practices
“I want to use this medium to appeal to Edo people, that there is going to be lots of games here, this one, we will not have full capacity spectators, we are going to admit half into the stadium.
“We are going to make sure that they are well spaced to meet COVID-19 protocols, so we are very ready and excited, only that we are going to appeal to our president so that we can use our VAR facilities, so that the doubting Thomas will know that there is actually VAR in this stadium,” he said.

Sports

Rivers’ SWAN Score: Momimichelle High on Stadium Renovation, Appeal for Office

Published

3 weeks ago

July 3, 2026

The Tide

The prayers of Rivers people, mostly the sports fraternity, are coming to fruition as the Port Harcourt Liberation Stadium, now known as the Yakubu Gowon Stadium, will be completed and handed over to the Rivers State government in one month’s time.

Yakubu Gowon Stadium is currently undergoing total renovation after being in a dilapidated state for close to fifteen years.

It is the present administration led by Sir Siminialayi Fubara that saw it necessary and imperative to renovate the stadium with deliberate intentions to develop sports in the state; hence, one of his priorities was to develop sports and never to allow significant infrastructures to rot away under his watch.

The governor took a bold and significant step to contract the total renovation of the stadium to a very reputable, world-known sports facilities and construction company called Monimichelle.

It is worthy to note that the chief executive officer (CEO) of Momimichelle, Chief Ebi Ezekiel Egbe, is a Nigerian precisely from Bayelsa State.

He is also a FIFA-licensed match agent and stadium construction expert. Monimichelle specializes in building and maintaining football pitches/stadiums—they did the Remo Stars Stadium hybrid turf that got FIFA quality certification in 2025.

It is on record that Monimichelle Sports Facilities & Construction Company has constructed and delivered over 10 CAF/FIFA-standard stadium in Nigeria.

The company is known for her diligent and neat jobs. The company does not compromise quality, regardless of the contract value. The company’s priority is quality and contract duration to deliver. In the records of the company, it has not failed to deliver on the contract date.

Note that Stadium (Yakubu Gowon) was once a beautiful pride in the South-South region of Nigeria, as it was one of the venues that hosted the 1999 Junior World Cup. The stadium was built to FIFA standards and has all facilities to host the World Cup.

After 1999 the magnificent stadium then was hosting other important local and international games, including Nigeria Super Eagles matches, before it became dilapidated over time courtesy of a lack of adequate maintenance.

According to Chief Egbe, while conducting the executive of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) Rivers State Chapter, led by Cyril Dum Wite, round the stadium on Tuesday, 9th June, 2026, the stadium pitch will be hybrid synthetic, which is currently in vogue all over the world.

He reiterated that the renovation will be completed in a month’s time, as all the equipment and facilities to be used are right on the ground.

“You see the job; it is almost completed, and I believe in a month’s time the whole work will be completed and handed over to the state government.

“As you can see, the stadium has CAF/FIFA standard facilities; it has two training pitches, a water sprinkler system, an eight-lane track, two ice spar rooms, VIP and VVIP areas, and a pitch panel control room.

It equally has a VAR control room with eight cameras, a modern electronic scoreboard, floodlights, a commentary room, a TV room, a mix zone, four changing rooms, three dressing rooms, a dope room, offices for doctors and nurses, and a physio room, including a general medical room.

“This space you see here is for motorized carts an access way to take a player out of the stadium in case there is an emergency. It has ?offices for both home and away coaches, CAF match commissioner and coordinator offices , media gallery and technical & control operations. It will be connected with free WiFi during match days.

“We are also making available 40 public toilets and a natural grass training pitch,” he said.

In their reaction after inspecting the facilities of the stadium, the chairman of SWAN in Rivers State, Cyril Dum Wite, and members of the executive expressed satisfaction over the quality of work done, mostly the originality of the facilities put in place.

The SWAN commended the speed with which the job is going with efficiency, saying when completed, the stadium can host international games and mostly serve as the official home ground of Rivers United FC of Port Harcourt, as it has modern facilities.

He used the opportunity to also commend Monimichell for its commitment and determination to complete it in the stipulated time frame.

The SWAN equally praised the government led by Sir Siminialayi Fubara for taking the bold step to renovate the stadium that is almost rotting away.

He again passionately appealed to the governor to approve and build a befitting SWAN office within the stadium that will allow sports writers to carry out their functions effectively and efficiently.

“The entire executive and members of sports writers passionately appeal to the governor, Sir Siminialayi Fubara, to approve and build an office for SWAN.

However, we are not in doubt that the governor, who is a sports-loving person, will surely do it for us. Sir Fubara has contributed immensely to sports development, and we will always remember him for that,” Dum Wite said.

Also a veteran sports journalist and National Ex-officio of SWAN, China, Acheru, who was also in the facilities tour, appreciates the level of work being done so far and advised Momimichelle to build facilities that can stand the test of time.

Tonye Orabere

Sports

Six Nigerians To Play For NBA Teams

Published

4 weeks ago

June 29, 2026

The Tide

Six Nigerians are among the over 10 players of African descent selected into various clubs in the 2026 NBA draft held on Saturday at the Barclays Centre, in Brooklyn, New York.

Among the new NBA draftees are Felix Okpara, Ebuka Okorie, Zubby Ejiofor, Otega Oweh, Tobi Lawal and Ugonna Onyenso.

Felix Okpara (selected 46th overall by the Orlando Magic) and Ugonna Onyenso (selected 53rd overall by the Houston Rockets) marked the second time that two players from Nigeria were selected in the same NBA Draft.

Onyenso is the third NBA Academy Africa alumnus and 15th NBA Academy alumnus overall to be drafted into the NBA.

Ebuka Okorie of Stanford University was the 17th overall pick by Oklahoma City Thunder as part of a planned trade.

In the arrangement, the Thunder will send the draft rights to Okorie to the Memphis Grizzlies who will send his draft rights to the Detroit Pistons).

Zuby Ejiofor was drafted from St John’s University as the 23rd overall by the Atlanta Hawks, just as Otega Oweh of the University of Kentucky was selected as the 41st overall pick by the Miami Heat, as part of a planned trade, which will see the Heat sending the draft rights to Oweh to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Oweh was named to the All-SEC Second Team by the league’s coaches in both seasons at Kentucky (2024-25, 2025-26).

He led the Wildcats in scoring (18.6 ppg) and steals (1.8 spg) as a senior in 2025-26 and also scored a career-high 35 points vs. Santa Clara in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. He is also the brother of Washington Commanders defensive end Odafe Oweh, a first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Felix Okpara of University of Tennessee, who was selected 46th overall by the Orlando Magic, earned 2025-26 SEC All-Defensive Team honors as a senior in his second season at the University of Tennessee.

He ranks second in programme history in blocks per game at 1.6 and is one of four Tennessee players to record multiple 50-block seasons.

Okpara finished third in the SEC in blocks during the 2024-25 season, averaging 1.7 per game, and ranked seventh in 2025-26 at 1.5 per game.

Prior to Tennessee, Okpara played two seasons at Ohio State and was in 2023-24, ranked 11th nationally in blocks, averaging 2.4 per game.

Okpara grew up playing football in Nigeria and picked up basketball shortly before moving to the U.S. in August 2018.

Tobi Lawal of Virginia Tech, who was selected 48th overall by the Dallas Mavericks, did not pick up a basketball until he was 16, growing up in London and starring for the City of London Academy before crossing the Atlantic.

At Lee Academy Prep, he was dominant, averaging 14.5 points, 11.4 rebounds, 3.0 blocks and 2.0 steals while shooting 67 per cent from the floor.

Ugonna Onyenso of the University of Virginia was selected 53rd overall by the Houston Rockets, but the Rockets will send his draft rights to the New York Knicks, who will then send his draft rights to the Detroit Pistons, marking the second time that two players from Nigeria were selected in the same NBA Draft.

Onyenso spent three years at NBA Academy Africa in Saly, Senegal, making him the third NBA Academy Africa alumnus and 15th NBA Academy alumnus overall to be drafted into the NBA.

At 17 years old, Onyenso became the youngest player ever to suit up for the Nigerian senior national team. The Owerri-born center first picked up basketball after a local coach pulled him away from soccer, then attended NBA Academy Africa before relocating to Putnam Science Academy in Connecticut.

Also in the latest NBA draft are AJ Dybantsa, who has ties to the Republic of the Congo and Jamaica, Nate Ament of Rwanda, who is the second player of Rwandan heritage to be drafted into the NBA after Frank Ntilikina, selected eighth overall by the New York Knicks in 2017.

Ghana’s Jack Kayil and Narcisse Ngoy of the Central African Republic are also among the new NBA intakes.

Sports

NPFL Warns Newly Promoted Clubs

Published

4 weeks ago

June 29, 2026

The Tide

The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), on Friday, warned newly promoted clubs that failure to meet the league’s licensing and infrastructure requirements could bar them from playing at home or even jeopardize their participation in the top flight.

The NPFL recalled that some clubs were relocated from their home venues last season after failing to meet the required standards.

The Chief Operating Officer of the NPFL, Davidson Owumi, disclosed this in Abuja, during an orientation and induction programme organised for the owners and general managers of the four newly promoted clubs ahead of the 2026/27 NPFL season.

He said the programme was designed to acquaint the clubs with the league’s operational procedures and club licensing requirements before the new season begins.

According to him, the early engagement provides clubs with enough time to address any shortcomings before the commencement of the season.

“The purpose is orientation and induction, to ensure they are acquainted with the basics of what we do in the NPFL and to break down the club licensing process so everyone understands what is expected.

“We still have plenty of time before the league starts. This is the appropriate time to acquaint them with what they will be facing. Those who cannot meet the requirements will know early enough.”

Owumi added that the league had yet to assess the newly promoted clubs for specific deficiencies, explaining that the current exercise was focused on education rather than evaluation.

“We are just interacting with them for the first time. We have not tested them in any way. After this education, if they are unable to meet the requirements in the coming weeks, then we will know those that are deficient.”

The NPFL chief stressed that the league would continue to enforce strict compliance with infrastructure standards, including stadium, security and medical requirements.

“Any club that does not meet the standard requirements will be moved from its home ground. We have always enforced these rules because professional football demands the right infrastructure.” Owumi said.

Speaking on behalf of one of the promoted clubs, Chairman of Sporting Lagos, Godwin Enakhena, described the orientation as timely and beneficial, saying it exposed participants to important aspects of the league’s operations that many may not have been aware of.

He said while some club officials had previous experience in the NPFL, the seminar remained valuable because learning in football administration is continuous.

Expressing confidence in the readiness of the promoted clubs, he noted that Sporting Lagos, Wikki Tourists, Barau FC and Doma United were not newcomers to the top flight and understood the demands of competing in the NPFL.

Enakhena said: “The day you stop learning and reading, then there’s a big problem. Even for me, there were issues discussed today that opened my mind. I would have been ignorant of those things if I wasn’t at this seminar.

“You don’t struggle to gain promotion and then you’re not ready for the battle. Based on my conversations with the other club managers, I can assure you the four teams are ready.”

Enakhena also welcomed the increasing number of privately owned clubs in the NPFL, describing it as a positive development for Nigerian football.

He said the success of privately run clubs would encourage more investors to enter the game and expressed hope that they would eventually make up the majority of clubs in the top division.

“I’m seeing more private clubs getting to the Premier League. Let’s have 70 per cent privately owned clubs and 30 per cent government clubs. That would be a fantastic development for Nigerian football.”