Sports
Niger Delta Games Build-Up: Abia, Imo Fine-Tune Plans as Delta Holds Coaches’ Summit
Niger Delta Games: Abia, Imo gear up as Delta holds Summit for Coaches
State Liaison Committees for the Niger Delta Games in Abia and Imo States already began functioning before they were officially inaugurated on Tuesday even as Delta State organised a working session with the 17 sports that would be competed for at the second edition of the games in Benin, Edo State from February 20-27, 2026.
Harrison Ocholor, the Secretary of the Delta State Liaison Committee met with the Coaches on Tuesday and charged them to ensure that only the best athletes were selected to represent the state from a fair and competitive state trials.
Ocholor told the Coaches that the organizers of the Games, Dunamis Icon Limited and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has left no stone unturned in ensuring the process of selecting talents for the games followed the rules and regulations. He enjoined them to study and make effective use of the technical booklet for the games which was issued to each Coach during the meeting.
In Abia State, Sir Itiako Ikpokpo, the Co-Chairman of the Main Organising Committee inaugurated the State Liaison Committee and charged them to implement all schedules of the games from athletes registration to local government and state trials.
Represented by the Project Director, Fred Edoreh, the Dunamis Icon Limited boss emphasised the importance of abiding by the regulations set forth for the games and warned that “age cheat and failure to present the required number of athletes for each sport will lead to disqualification of any offending state”.
The Abia State Commissioner of Sports, Hon Ananaba Nwaobilor, assured the organisers and sponsors of the Niger Delta Games that the state is in total agreement with the objectives, rules and regulations of the Niger Delta Games, and would go the extra mile to maintain, promote and defend them in all processes of the 2nd Niger Delta Games.
Nwaobilor spoke at the Aba Sports Club in Aba, and described the games as having added impetus to the state government’s drive under Governor Alex Otti, to use sports as an instrument to emancipate talented youths in the state.
Nwaobilor who was represented at the ceremony by the State Director of Sports, Comrade Obioma George, said “Abia State is an ardent believer in the objectives, rules and regulations of the Niger Delta Games.
Our aim is to provide access to sports in all communities of Abia State, to discover and groom young talents and empower them unto successful careers in sports, and we thank the sponsors, the NDDC, and the Project Consultants led by Sir Malik Ikpokpo for initiating the Niger Delta Games”.
The Abia State Liaison Committee for the 2nd Niger Delta Games is chaired by the Commissiomer of Sports, Hon Nwaobilor, with Hon Onyebuchi Chukwu as Secretary, and Comrade Obioma George, Director of Sports, and Kingsley Kanu, Abia State interim SWAN Chairman as members.
In Owerri, where the Imo State Liaison Committee was inaugurated at the office of the Imo State Commissioner for Sports, Ikpokpo, the Atanaru of Irri Kingdom, also harped on the age limit for athletes and charged members of the committee to ensure massive mobilisation and timely registration of athletes on the Games’ official portal, stressing that only duly registered athletes would be cleared to participate. Ikpokpo was again, represented by Edoreh, the Project Director
.
In his remarks, the Imo State Commissioner for Sports, Hon. Obinna Onyeocha, commended the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and Dunamis Icon Limited for initiating and sustaining the Games for two consecutive years, describing the championship as a credible platform for talent discovery and development in the region.
Hon. Onyeocha noted that the Niger Delta Games align perfectly with the sports development vision of the administration of Governor Hope Uzodimma, assuring that Imo State is fully prepared to participate and comply with all rules and regulations guiding the competition.
“It is the mandate of His Excellency, the Governor of Imo State, for us to go to the grassroots to discover talents, and these Games have come to help us achieve exactly that,” Onyeocha said.
“On behalf of the committee, I assure you that we will insist on quality, thoroughness, discipline and total compliance.”
The Imo State Liaison Committee is chaired by Onyeocha, with Hon. Willie Okolieogwo serving as secretary. Other members include the Director of Sports, Lady Justina Akpulo, and Kennedy Onwunali
Sports
Plateau Vipers, Benue Queens Crowned Champions at HFN North Central Division One Tourney
Joel Ajayi
The President of the Handball Federation of Nigeria (HFN), Jibril Seidu, has said the federation will continue to intensify its grassroots talent development drive through zonal competitions across the country.
Seidu stated this on Saturday in Abuja at the finals of the 2026 North Central Division One Handball Championship, where Plateau Vipers defeated Suleja Shooters 29-24 to emerge champions in the men’s category.
In the women’s final, Benue Queens of Makurdi defeated City Queens of Suleja to claim the title.
The eight-day tournament featured teams from across the North Central Zone, with Plateau Vipers of Jos, Confluence Stars of Lokoja, Unity Boys of Abuja, Suleja Shooters and Nasarawa Ambassadors of Lafia competing in the men’s category.
In the women’s category, Nuela Handball Academy of Ilorin, Inikpi Babes of Idah, Benue Queens of Makurdi and City Queens of Suleja competed for honours.
At the end of the competition, four teams — two male and two female — emerged as the North Central Zone’s representatives for the national Division One league.
According to Seidu, the tournament was organised as part of the federation’s deliberate strategy to take handball development back to the regions and discover talents that might otherwise remain unnoticed.
He said the HFN board, inaugurated on October 25, 2025, resolved that grassroots development was essential to creating a sustainable pipeline of players for national and international competitions.
“All the teams you have seen here are from the North Central Zone of the country, and every state is represented with an academy or state team,” he said.
Seidu explained that the new approach marked a departure from the previous system, where talent identification was largely centred on the federation’s major league competitions.
He said taking competitions to the regions would provide young players with greater opportunities to showcase their abilities while strengthening the foundation of handball across the country.
The HFN president also linked the grassroots initiative to Nigeria’s recent achievements in international handball, stressing the need to develop younger players who can eventually replace members of the current national teams.
He noted that Nigeria had qualified for the 2027 Men’s Junior Handball World Championship in North Macedonia, describing the achievement as evidence of the potential within the country’s handball system.
“How do we replace these players with upcoming players? This is the avenue for us to get players,” he said.
Seidu added that the federation was determined to make handball more visible and accessible, describing it as one of Nigeria’s major sporting disciplines with significant potential for growth.
The North Central tournament is part of a wider zonal programme designed to decentralise handball development across Nigeria.
According to the federation, similar competitions are being organised across other zones, including the South East, North East, North West and South South, with qualifiers from each zone expected to converge at a designated venue for the next stage of the competition.
The federation also appealed for greater support from sponsors, stakeholders and state associations to sustain its grassroots development programme.
It expressed appreciation to the participating states, academies, team sponsors and other stakeholders for their support and commitment to the growth of handball in Nigeria.
The federation said the initiative would provide a platform for discovering the next generation of Nigerian handball stars while expanding the sport’s reach beyond its traditional centres.
While Speaking the elated coach of Benue Queen Godwin Tondo has promised a stronger and more tactical performance after guiding the team to victory at the 2026 North Central Division One Handball Championship in Abuja.
He attributed the success to the team’s long-term youth development programme, noting that the squad was built through a deliberate process of identifying and nurturing young talents.
According to him, the programme began with the selection of 92 girls from secondary schools, who were subsequently trained and developed over a four-year period.
He said the team’s success was a product of sustained hard work and commitment despite the challenges encountered during preparations for the tournament.
“I feel very pleased being a champion today. The road to this stage was very, very hard, but I am very happy that we have got the result from all the toughness of the game,” he said.
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