Sports

FG Inagurates MOC For 21st ASABA National Sports Festival

Published

5 years ago

April 5, 2022

By Joel Ajayi

The Main Organising Committee for the 21st National Sports Festival in Asaba Delta State has been inaugurated.

The 16-man MOC has the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ismail Abubakar as the Chairman while the Director of Statistics and Planning in the ministry Mr. Peter Nelson is the secretary.

speaking at the inauguration on Tuesday in Abuja the Minister of Youth and Sports, Sunday Dare who was represented by Permanent Secretary Ismail Abubakar charged the MOC to be committed and let history be repeated through a successful hosting of the 2022 National Sports Festival.

According to him, I am therefore pleased to welcome you for the Inauguration of the Main Organizing Committee of the 21st National Sports Festival ‘ASABA 2022.

“It is worthy to note that the organization of the National Sports Festival is an enormous task that requires commitment and dedication taken into account that you have barely seven (7) months to put everything in place for a successful Games which will involve not less than fifteen thousand (15.000) athletes and team official.

“I am however confident that with the zeal and determination of Delta State as well as the caliber of the persons that constitute the Main Organising Committee (MOC), the task of organizing the festival will not be insurmountable”

Minister however appealed to corporate organizations to support sports in Nigeria and leverage it to promote their goods and services.

He, therefore, tasks the Main Organising Committee (MOC) to package the festival so as to make it attractive to sponsors.

The others include; Dr. Paul Oveudo Director of Sports Medicine, Dr. Simon Ebhojaye, Director TEAD, Alhaji Abba Yola, COS/HM), Mr. Patrick Okeke, Director, GRSD, Mr. Tunji Okadairo, Director, FASD, Mr. Olutehinti Olusegun Joshua, DFA. Alh. Mohammed Manga, Prof. Olawale Moronkola, Director, NIS.

Others, Engr. Habu Gumel. President, NOC, Brig. Gen. Emico Eruwa, President, PCN, Malzare Ahmed, Chairman, States’ DOS Forum, Sherif Olawuyi, and Mrs. Meg Unah.

In his acceptance speech, the Permanent Secretary, Ismail Abubakar who was represented by the chief of staff to Minister of sports Abbah Yola thanked the Minister on behalf of the MOC for the opportunity to serve.

“On behalf of the Vice-Chairman and entire members of the Main Organising Committee (MOC), I wish to express our acceptance of the appointments and assure the Minister, and by extension all Nigerians, that we shall do our very best to deliver a very successful 21st NSF.

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Sports

Drogba, Amuneke, Eguavoen Lead African Legends’ Arrival in Lagos

Published

18 hours ago

November 7, 2026

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

With just one day to the much-anticipated Legends of Africa Football Game, Ivorian football icon Didier Drogba has arrived in Lagos, joining an impressive assembly of former African internationals already in the city ahead of Sunday’s star-studded encounter.

Drogba’s arrival further heightens anticipation for the game, which will bring together some of the continent’s most celebrated football figures at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, Lagos.

Also in Lagos are Nigerian football greats Mobi Oparaku, Emmanuel Amuneke, Emmanuel Babayaro, Garba Lawal, Austin Eguavoen and Mutiu Adepoju, alongside other members of the legendary Super Eagles generations of 1994 and 1996.

The African contingent also features distinguished names including Togo’s Emmanuel Adebayor, Senegal’s El-Hadji Diouf, Ghana’s Stephen Appiah and Cameroon’s Rigobert Song, among other former international stars.

The excitement will extend beyond the legends’ reunion, with popular Nigerian entertainers and celebrities preparing for a special Celebrity Match as part of the event. Yhemolee, Sheggz, Jeriq, Teddy A and Charles Okocha are among the personalities set to feature in the celebrity fixture, scheduled to begin at 1:30pm.

The Celebrity Match will form part of a wider programme of activities designed to give fans a full day of football, entertainment and celebration before the main legends’ fixture, which kicks off at 5pm. Gates open at 1:30pm.

Organized by Toptier Sports Management in collaboration with Afreximbank and CANEX as part of CANEX WKND 2026, the game will feature 15 Nigerian legends taking on 13 African icons in a celebration of the players whose achievements helped shape the history of football on the continent.

Beyond the match, the programme includes a football clinic involving 500 young players, entertainment and special recognition for the heroes of African football.

The Legends of Africa Football Game promises a memorable gathering of football royalty, bringing together generations of fans to celebrate the enduring legacy of the continent’s finest players.

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