NDDC Sports Festival: Okpebholo to host Delta, Rivers, Bayelsa, others

Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State has affirmed the readiness of the State to host the next edition of the Niger Delta Sports Festival slated for February 2026.

A statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Fred Itua, said Okpebholo made the commitment on Tuesday when the management of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) paid him a courtesy visit at Government House, Benin City.

Okpebholo, who welcomed the NDDC’s proposal, pledged that Edo State would deliver a successful and memorable sports festival.

“You have chosen the right state. We are not just the Heartbeat of the Nation for nothing. We have the strength, we have the athletes, and we have what it takes to win every sporting activity,” he said.

The governor also appealed to the NDDC for a partnership to rehabilitate the Agbor-Uromi Road, which he described as “not motorable,” stressing its importance for economic and social movement.

The NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, in his remarks, congratulated Okpebholo on his one year in office and commended his administration’s strides, particularly in the area of sports and infrastructural development.

He explained that the visit was to formally seek Edo State’s hosting of the forthcoming Niger Delta Games with the theme “Beyond Oil: Harnessing Talents.”

According to the NDDC boss, the festival, whose maiden edition was held earlier this year with over 3,000 athletes from the nine Niger Delta States, was designed to strengthen regional integration using sports as a unifying tool.

He emphasised the importance of fostering collaboration between the NDDC and State Governments, noting that past tensions had hindered progress.

“Your Excellency, NDDC is not a government. It is an interventionist agency. We must always work with state governors if we want to succeed. One of the greatest problems we had in the past was opposition from state governments, but we are bridging that gap,” Ogbuku said.

He highlighted ongoing and completed NDDC projects in Edo State, including interventions in erosion control, ecological challenges and internal roads in Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, and Edo State Polytechnic, Usen.

“We know these challenges are bigger than one state alone. That is why we seek partnership,” he added.

The Chairman of the Edo State Sports Commission, Amadin Enabulele, thanked the governor for his strong support and commitment to sports development.

With Edo’s advanced sporting infrastructure and renewed regional collaboration, the February festival is expected to draw athletes from Delta, Rivers, Bayelsa, and other Niger Delta states, positioning Edo as a central hub for sports excellence in the region.

Also present at the event were the Deputy Governor, Rt. Hon. Dennis Idahosa, Secretary to the State Government, Umar Musa Ikhilo, Chief of Staff, Alhaji Gani Audu, Chairman, House Committee on Sports, Hon. Okogbe Donald, among other officials.

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