Sports
Obibi Community Emerges Champions of Etche Unity Football Tournament … As Senator Donates N2.7m
Nwodim Memorial Football in Obibi Community has emerged winners of the maiden edition of Okehi Clan Unity Tournament in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The final encounter was played at Amaekwune playground in Okehi which witnessed huge attendance and saw Obibi community narrowly beat hard fighting Okehi One with a lone goal.
Spectators were excited following the football artistry being displayed by the two teams as the game kicked off by 4pm, and Obibi saw the back of the net at the 43rd minute of play.
Speaking shortly after the final game, Senator Allwell Onyesoh, representing Rivers East Senatorial district in the National Assembly who was the special guest of Honour and Chairman is the Assembly opined that the tournament has achieved its purpose, saying that both teams played purposeful football.
According to him the tournament has discovered hidden talents that have potentials to become future football champions, adding that the competition has enormous advantages to be harnessed.
“For me, no winner, no vanquished, both teams who played today, played very well and I must commend the donor for this gesture in this grassroots sports development.
To this end, I am supporting the tournament for next year with the sum of N1million, while each of the finalist will go home with N.5N1million each, as best player, best goal keeper, will also get N100,000 each, while officials, organisers and the singing group will also smile home with N250,000, N200,000 and N100,000 respectively.
“Let me continue to encourage you all to maintain peace and unity, however, for the best player and best goal keeper I will register both of you to play in a club in Port Harcourt” Senator Onyesoh said.
He further used the opportunity to commend the sponsor of the tournament, Engr Fortune Uchenna Obi, for what he has done in all ramifications.
Earlier in an interview with journalists, the sponsor of the tournament, Engr. Obi said he decided to sponsor the tournament to promote unity and peace in the area through grassroots sports development and expressed happiness that the tournament was successful.
Akujobi Amadi
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.