Fisayo Dairo 

Hosts Edo state made good their promise of hosting to win the second Niger Delta Games which was held at the Heartbeat in the final week of February, 2026.

Winning is secondary to the organisers, the Dunamis Icon Ltd, and what was primary was the successful hosting of athletes from nine (9) Niger Delta states, competing for honours in sixteen (16) flagship sports and landing a total of five hundred and thirty eight (538) medals for their states.

Every edition is an experience

The gains of the second edition which reached a thrilling climax on Thursday, February 26, 2026 certainly outweighs the losses, and from an organisational point of view, it was a success.

“I just like to say that every edition is an experience and you just try to make sure that the issues that come up are properly addressed as we get better,” Sir Itiako Ikpokpo, the Lead Consultant of Dunamis Icon told the Press.

“The Niger Delta Games is on the World Athletics Calendar so it is a critical part of what we do internationally and what we are doing is to as much as possible make everything we do meet international standards. So we just keep getting better,” he added.

Multiple gold medallists hold sway

Chibueze Osama and Ejiro Peter of Delta state led the state’s unlikely charge to the top of the medals table as both athletes contributed seven gold medals to their state’s overall collection in Benin.

Osama (boy) and Ejiro (girl) completed the sprint treble of 100m, 200m and 4x100m in the men and women’s category before both joined forces to give Delta an additional gold in the 4x100m mixed relay race. They are certainly ones to watch out for in the nearest future.

Akwa Ibom’s remarkable story will also not be told without the mention of the exciting young quarter miler, David Udoh who won three gold medals in men’s 400m, 4x400m and the mixed 4x400m relay races.

For the hosts, Joy Peremoboere Kimikiagha was the leading light in Swimming with her multiple gold medals across different days of the competitions while the extraordinary story of Godfrey Terry from Team Bayelsa cannot be overemphasized.

Terry won Gold in Wrestling’s 65kg category and quite amazingly, he teamed up with the Men’s Handball Team a day later to win Gold after beating Delta 26-24 to earn his second gold medal of the Games.

From losers to winners…
As expected in sporting competitions like the Niger Delta Games, the story of this second edition cannot be documented without celebrating athletes that have bounced back from losing positions last year to winning this time.
One of the most captivating comebacks was that of Hephzibah Gabriel-Okon from Akwa-Ibom. The 14-year old who finished fourth in the women’s 800m last year stormed to victory in the same race in Benin City, attracting global attention to herself.
In Boxing, Joshua Solomon Nweke of Rivers state upgraded his silver medal in Uyo to gold in the men’s 70kg category in Benin City. After months of preparation with local and international events, Nweke produced a flawless performance in the competition, a run that culminated in his win over Edo state’s Bartholomew Gifted.
Elsewhere, Handball at Edo 2026 was a platform for comebacks as winners of both men and women’s categories exacted revenge on their oppressors from 2025. Team Bayelsa won the men’s final, beating Team Delta to avenge their final loss to same team in Uyo.
In women’s Handball, Team Imo came out tops with gold after defeating the two finalists from last year – Bayelsa and Delta – en route to their final triumph over hosts Edo.
Champions Edo!
Team Edo delivered a comprehensive performance which cut across almost all sixteen sports – bar the ball games – as they returned a total of 111 medals. Their 52 gold medals tally was ten more than the winner of the maiden edition, Bayelsa had in 2025.
Delta state finished second for a second successive time in spite of a late charge that saw them claim three of the four gold medals in the final athletics events on showcase during the closing ceremony.
Team Akwa Ibom were the most improved state, having amassed sixteen gold medals, seven more than they got on home soil in 2025 and a total of fifty-five medals, eighteen more than they got last year.
Team Rivers dropped the most from the inaugural edition last year, claiming six gold medals in Benin, fifteen less than they had in Uyo last year while Team Imo dropped one place to the bottom of the medals table having amassed one gold lesser than last year.

Fisayo Dairo is a Port Harcourt based Journalist who covered the Games in Uyo and recently in Benin

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