By Victor Nwachukwu
Owerri, Feb. 25, 2025
The Imo Commissioner for Sports, Mr. Evaristus Onyeocha, has said that at least 600 Under-25 athletes from the state will participate in the Niger Delta Sports Festival in April 2025.
Onyeocha, who heads the Imo Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the festival, said this on Tuesday, while briefing newsmen on preparations for the event.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the festival, the first of its kind under the sponsorship of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), has the states and indigenes of the region as the only participants.
It shall hold from April 1 to April 8.
The nine Niger Delta states are Abia, Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo and Rivers.
Also, no fewer than 3000 athletes, 600 coaches and technical officials, as well as 300 media practitioners shall be converging on the city of Uyo, the Akwa Ibom capital, for the event.
The commissioner described the sports festival as a flagship sports development programme of the commission, in partnership with the Dunanis Icon Limited.
He said that the LOC will help NDDC to realise its set objectives through the event, as well as align with the vision of the Gov. Hope Uzodinma-led government for the development of sports in Imo.
According to him, the athletes shall be participating in all the 17 events at the festival, including athletics, basketball, boxing, canoeing, chess, football, handball, para-athletics, para-powerlifting, scrabble, swimming, table tennis, tennis, volleyball, weightlifting, traditional wrestling, and wrestling.
“Participants and athletes Under 25 years of age are already registering Online at: https://nigerdeltasportfestival.com.
“They can also come for physical capture at the Office of the Director of Sports, at the Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri.
“Registrations are ongoing and state trials for all the mentioned sports have been fixed for Tuesday, March 4, at the Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri,” Onyeocha said.
He thanked all the critical stakeholders, including the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mrs. Rubby Emele, and the Chairmen of Local Governments for their support in ensuring access to the grassroots for harnessing of indigenous talents for the competition.
