Sports

Iyaye Showers Encomium On Obuah Over Support For Rivers United

Published

4 years ago

March 23, 2021

… Team Gets N2m To Defeat Enyimba In Aba

Rivers Sports Commissioner, Boma Iyaye has showered encomiums on the founder of Go-Round Football Club and sports philanthropist, Bro Felix Obuah over his continued support to Rivers United.

According to him, Bro Obuah’s actions are testimonies of genuine love for sports development and particularly, for the State government-owned Rivers United.

Rivers United has benefitted from Obuah’s financial promises after he tasked the team to win matches in the ongoing CAF Confederation Cup and get rewarded.

Iyaye gave the commendation at Omoku, Rivers State when he led a team that included the Permanent Secretary, Sir Honour Sirawoo; officials and players of Rivers United, supporters club, amongst others, on a thank you visit to Obuah.

The commissioner described Obuah’s gesture as unparalleled in the history of the state, stressing that outside the Rivers State Government, no other individual has done that much for the team.

He seized the opportunity to laud Governor Wike, whom he said recently donated a 54-seater luxurious bus to Rivers United in line with his undiluted support for the Club; emphasizing that with such a support-base, the team have no other choice but to make Rivers people proud.

Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Sports, Sir Honour Sirawoo commended Bro Obuah for his exemplary commitment to the cause of Rivers people, pointing out that his efforts for the team would not be in vain.

Sir Sirawoo stressed that though, the Rivers State government was providing all necessary support for the club, encouragement from well-spirited Rivers people will serve as a further tonic.

The General Manager of Rivers United, Okey Kpalukwu, Technical Manager, Stanley Eguma, team Captain, Festus Austin, and chairman, Rivers United Supporters Club, Franklin Owhor, all praised the uncommon love for the team by Obuah.

Responding, Bro Felix Obuah commended the Rivers State Governor and Power of Sports (POS) Africa, Barr Nyesom Wike for giving the team all required support to excel so far in the continent and local league.

While downplaying his gesture to the team, he stressed that he was just doing it out of his love for good football, stressing that the team is a reflection of the unity that the State should continue to enjoy and therefore needed to be encouraged.

He tasked the team to do all within its powers to win the CAF Confederation Cup for the State and country, with the belief that the government will reward them, knowing the antecedents of Governor Wike.

He announced the sum of N2m should the team defeat Enyimba in Aba, as well as N200,000 for each goal scored.

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Sports

A Triumphant Close to the 22nd National Sports Festival

Published

4 days ago

May 29, 2025

The Gleamer

…As organisers promise another spectacle at closing ceremony on Thursday

Joel Ajayi

After 11 days of a true showcase of sporting competition in multiple Sports by some of the country’s top and even promising athletes, the curtain will finally be drawn on what many have described as one of the best ever organised National Sports festivals, when the closing ceremony is held on Thursday at the MKO Sports Arena in Abeokuta.

Whilst the quality of the Games’ opening ceremony is still getting tongues wagging, the entire sporting family and beyond is now anxiously looking forward to what the closing ceremony will look like.

The last 11 days have showcased Ogun state as a true Sporting hub with potential to even do more, with the quality of the facilities built for the games and the enthusiasm of the people who made the various venues their second home in the last few days.

A big testament to this was the history-making crowd that attended the male football final between Ogun state and Kwara State, which the host won by 4-1.

The MKO stadium was filled to full capacity while the crowd outside watching from the big screen reminds one of how much Sports is truly the soul of our togetherness as a country.

From the Alake Sports centre in Ijeja and the Baptist boys high school, to the Obafemi Awolowo square and the Remo stadium both in Ikenne, to the NYSC orientation camp in Shagamu, and the Ilisan town hall in Ilisan, the festival never lacked spectatorship throughout the games.

The Games actually lived up to the pre-tournament hype as both the National Sports Commission, NSC and the Ogun state Government pulled out every administrative capacity to ensure both athletes, officials and the media have an unforgettable experience.

The Gateway Games 2024 had been full of exciting drama and intrigues amongst the states and athletes which led to different new records being set and some old records being shattered.

The festival has also produced for the country some new exciting young talents especially with the shocking performance of the 38th state, the Invited Junior Athletes ( IJA), where they ended up winning some surprised medals to justify the Commission’s establishment of the initiative.

As the Closing ceremony holds on Thursday, the leadership of the National Sports commission, NSC, expresses its profound gratitude to the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Ogun State Government for making sure millions of Nigerian youths see a renewed brighter future in the country through the National Sports Festival.
The NSC Chairman Mallam Shehu Dilko said ” our overwhelming gratitude goes to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,GCFR, for his personal commitment to the development of Nigerian Sports by giving us every support financially and otherwise for the success of this festival”.

” And the Ogun state Governor, Dapo Abiodun also deserves a huge praise for the feat we all recorded with these games. I can’t thank him enough and posterity will surely remember him for good “.

The NSC Director General who is also the Chairman of the Main organising committee of the games, Hon Bukola Olopade also extended his gratitude to all the technocrats behind the scene that are responsible for the successful organisation of the games.

” From all the members of the Main organising committee to the various sub committees, to members of the local organising committees and all our technical officials in the various sports to the media and our athletes, every success that everyone is talking about concerning these Games belongs to you all”.

” Yes it was not a perfect festival because we acknowledged we had also some challenges but let me assure everyone that some of the challenges are already being worked upon ahead of the next Games holding in Enugu state next year”, he concluded.

The Closing ceremony is expected to bring together top Government functionaries to captain of industries while there will also be the rich cultural display of the state as Ogun state will officially pass the barton of hosting to Enugu state for the 23rd edition of the Games come September 2026.

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