Sports
NPFL: Rivers United Targets Three Points In Uyo
Rivers United FC of Port Harcourt has vowed to go for the maximum points in today’s Week Two fixture of the Nigeria Professional Football League, NPFL. The team arrived Uyo, the capital city of Akwa Ibom State last Monday right in preparation for the midweek’s game against Akwa United.
The match expected to kick off by 4.00 pm at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, will be one of the week’s two games in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) that would take place at different venues across the nation.
Rivers United considers the encounter as a must win game following their ambition to win the NPFL title and other trophies in the season.
The Port Harcourt-based club’s impressive performance occasioned by their 2-1 victory against visiting El-Kammi Warriros, at the weekend stands as an indication of their intention this season.
Contrastingly, Akwa United may still be in shock following their 3-1 loss against ABS FC. This may play to the advantage of the visitors.
Rivers United Captain, Festus Austin, in a telephone interview with Tidesprots said they went to Uyo early to stabilize and train effectively so that the issue of fatique would not arise.
According to him, they are in Uyo to win because they know how important the game is, adding that every match will be taken very seriously.
“We are in Uyo to win because we know how important the game is, besides every match is also important because we need to see ourself up on the Log.
We are going to take the three points at the end of the game”, Austin said.
Supporters Club Chairman, of Rivers United, Franklin Owhor, also expressed optimism that his side will definitely run away with at least a point from Uyo.
He believes that the caliber of players in the team gives him the assurance that the team can win any team in the league.
“I am sure that Rivers United will take the three points at stake or at least a point.
We have good players, we also have good technical input by our technical crew”, Owhor said.
Meanwhile, there are indications that Akwa United players would not want to share or drop any point in today’s encounter.
This will not be unconnected with the 3-1 loss at the weekend in the upcoming game of NPFL.
According to sources from the Uyo side, the players want to use today’s match to redeem their image.
This indeed, sets the tone for a crunchy encounter at the Uyo’s Nest of champions today.
Tonye Orabere
Hon Dike who spoke with sports journalists shortly after the flag off the 2024 edition of Chairman’s Football Unity Tournament at Botem Tai in Tai LGA, said the tournament is an annual event to promote peace and unity in Tai as well identify budding talents in the area for global competition.
The opening ceremony of the tournament was more like a carnival was witnessed by huge crowd including prominent indigenes of Ogoni Kingdom, sports lovers and people from all works of life.
The LGA boss revealed that special sports committee will be setup in the area to work out modalities to strengthen sports development in Tai.
He advised the participants in the tournament from various wards in the LGA to play the game by the rules and conduct themselves in a peaceful and orderly manner and use the opportunity to showcase their talents.
Hon Dike further disclosed that his administration will also give priority attention to skills development among the youth to enhance their human capacity and promote enterprise development in the area.
Earlier in his address the Chairman of Tai LGA Football Council, Elder Wisdom Gorgor said the annual football competition has been a unifying factor in Tai LGA that need to be sustained to forge more unity and development in the area.
He urged the participants to see the competition as an opportunity to embrace football as a full career and earn sustainable livelihood.
Elder Gorgor who commended the Chairman of Tai LGA, Hon Dike for his visionary leadership and tremendous development achievements recorded in the LGA under his administration, appealled to the Chairman to build a Mini Sports Stadium in the area to promote sporting activities.
The training was held at the Sani Abacha Stadium Indoor Basketball Court in Kano last Saturday.
According to the Vice President and Head of NBA Nigeria, Gbemisola Abudu, the event was part of the league’s commitment to growing broader basketball ecosystem in Nigeria and making the game more accessible across the country.
“Our first Jr. NBA clinic in Kano speaks to our commitment to growing the game in Nigeria and creating more opportunities for boys and girls to learn and play the game,” Abudu said.
“Nigeria has a rich basketball history and abundance of talent, which is evident every time you watch an NBA game. We look forward to continuing to engage with basketball stakeholders, business leaders and members of the community to further the game’s reach and impact on young people around the country,” she added.
The 2024 basketball initiative clinics of NBA Nigeria also included the league’s inaugural Jr. NBA elite camp for 150 boys and age-16 girls held at the American International School in Lagos in July.
Others include the NBA’s building of 1,000 courts in Africa over the next decade, Nigeria’s Festival Coins and Salubata named the top two winning businesses at NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator’s inaugural Demo Day in New York City held last September, and the third edition of “NBA Meets Art,” a curated installation celebrating basketball through the lens of Nigerian art and culture as part of West Africa’s premier art fair Art X Lagos, held in November.
Central to this vision is the federation’s investment in capacity building, evident in the just-concluded one-week Level 1 Badminton World Federation (BWF) Coaching Course, which marked a significant milestone for Nigerian badminton.
Held in Abuja, the course brought together 13 young coaches from across Nigeria. The last time such a course was held in the country was in 2017, making this a historic and transformative step.
The training was facilitated by the Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA) in partnership with the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) and conducted by Dr. Ahmed Radah, the BCA Development Manager.
Radah, impressed by the talent he witnessed, praised Nigeria’s potential.
“Nigeria is blessed with immense talent and a strong badminton tradition. I believe this country has what it takes to dominate on the global stage,” he remarked.