Sports

Harvest of Young Talents at NDSF by Scouts, Coaches

Published

8 months ago

April 6, 2025

Joel Ajayi

A major objective of the Niger Delta Sports Festival (NDSF) sponsored by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDCC) may have yielded instant fruits with the identification of a number of young athletes in football, table tennis, wrestling, athletics and some other events.

This is a direct outcome to the engagement of over 20 coaches, retired elite athletes, and scouts who have been on ground to scout potentials expected to be groomed and honed to international stardom.

Francis Sule, a former Nigeria table tennis captain, and now, a grass roots coach believes he has spotted promising talents at the festival.

“I am very impressed with what I have seen on the ground so far. Numerous talents abound in the Niger Delta Region, and I can confidently show you the athletes that will replace Funke Oshinaike, Aruna Quadri, and Bose Kaffo in this festival.”

Sule, who is a member of the Scouting and Mentorship committee of the Niger Delta Sports Festival, further explained to the NDSF media unit that he was overjoyed with the standard of play from the young athletes.

” I have selected young boys and girls who met the criteria for subsequent nurturing and developmental programmes.”

Also sharing his experience at the festival as one of the scouts, Paul Omamomo who is a FIFA licensed football scout said “We’re faced with the daunting task of picking the very best from the NDSF because of the unbelievable talents that myself, Victor Ikpeba and the other football scouts have seen here. So I can confidently say that we’ve found the new Austin Okocha, Daniel Amokachi, Sunday Oliseh and many more”.

Olympian and United States based Gabriel Opuana told social media Influencer, Chief Suo that he has identified a Shotput thrower but declined to name her.

“There is a girl that has shown very good potential and I’ll be speaking with her after her event. Now is not the right time to let her know she is good as it may distract her, but I’ll speak to her after their final throw”, Opuana said in a Facebook live post.

Olympics silver medalist in wrestling, Blessing Oborududu who is in Uyo as one of the Games Ambassador, and doubles as a scout has no doubt in her mind that replacements for her and many others have been discovered at the NDSF.

“What gladdens my heart is that this competition has thrown up young athletes who will replace me and the others. I want to thank the Niger Delta Development Commission for doing this for the kids of this region”.

For Mary Onyali, one of the festival Celebrity Sports personalities, there is cause for celebration “because what we’ve clamored for over the years is finally being done by the NDDC. I want to thank them for this innovation, thank you NDSF for giving us a platform to identify the country’s future athletes. I can beat my chest and say that future athletes have been discovered here and I’m excited”.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the scouting and mentorship committee, Godwin Enakhena, has commended the NDDC for this initiative. “The NDDC deserves our commendation for doing this for the Niger Delta Region.

The NDSF is timely because of the poor state of sports developmental in Nigeria.

This is one of its kind for a sports festival. What is uniquely different is that the plan is not to leave this meticulous task for the states but we have assembled the best hands to identify, nuture, encourage and promote these athletes in every way we can in achieving the over all goal of the NDDC for sports in the Niger Delta region and Nigeria as a whole.”

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Sports

Tangerine APT Pension Crowned New Kings of PFA Games 2025

Published

9 hours ago

November 30, 2025

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi
Joel Ajayi Tangerine APT Pension stormed the 2025 Pension Fund Administrators Games and snatched the crown with a commanding 66 points—ending FCMB’s reign and announcing themselves as the new champions of corporate sporting excellence.

From the first whistle to the final scoreboard, Tangerine APT played like an organisation possessed. They dominated volleyball and snooker, showcased brilliant tactical depth to finish second in chess behind Norrenberger, secured second place in team bonding behind Premium Pension, and held their own across the board—fourth in football, sixth in table tennis, fifth in scrabble, and eighth in e-sports, press conference, discipline and grooming. Every point mattered, and Tangerine APT grabbed them with fire.

Defending champions FCMB, despite flashes of brilliance, simply could not summon last year’s magic.

They finished second overall with 63 points—just three points behind the new champions. FCMB were first in scrabble, second in football, third in table tennis and e-sports, fourth in snooker and team bonding, and fifth in volleyball, chess, and press conference/discipline/grooming. A brave defence, but not enough to stop the Tangerine wave.

Rounding off the podium is NPF Pension, finishing third with 57 points after a spirited campaign. They claimed gold in football, second in table tennis and e-sports, third in volleyball, fourth in scrabble, sixth in press conference/discipline/fanfare/most coordinated, seventh in chess, and eighth in snooker and team bonding.

The rest of the table saw fierce competition:4th – Norrenberger Pension: 52 points, 5th – Premium Pension: 47 points, 6th – NNPC Pension: 45 points, 7th – Access Arm: 41 points
In Others position 8th – Trustfund Pension: 29 points 9th – PENCOM: 28 points and 10th – NUPEMCO: 25 points.

With the dust settled and the cheers still echoing, one truth stands tall:Tangerine APT Pension has ushered in a new era—bold, dominant, and unforgettable.

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