By Justin Akpovi-Esade
WATCHING teenagers burn the tracks for five days in a fierce contest brought back fond memories of when the country used to catch athletes and other sportsmen young, people, who went on to bring glory to fatherland on the global sports stages.
The event was the 2nd edition of the Niger Delta Games (NDG) which ended on Thursday, February 26 at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City, Edo State.
Sponsored by the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, and powered by Dunamis Icon Limited, owners of the proprietary rights to Niger Delta Games, this year’s fiesta was rightly themed ‘Beyond Oil: Harnessing Talents’.
MD, Dunamis Icon Limited
The host state(Edo), against all odds, shocked sports enthusiasts and analysts by topping the medals table, raking in a whopping 52 gold medals.
But that was not the talking point as delegates headed back to their respective states, as revealed by Mr. Harry Iwuala, one of the event’s media officials, in a statement issued earlier in the week.
The discussion, according to Iwuala was more about the athletics events, “most especially the final day of the contest. From day one when the 100m was decided to the last day of relay spectacle, it was fireworks all through and justifiably so, because the Niger Delta area is a forest of athletics talents, and over the years has produced some of Nigeria’s best in local and international track and field contests.”
Iwuala revealed further that the Delta State contingent dominated the competition in Benin City in the face of a strong challenge from Edo, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom and Cross River States. Delta State athletes won 13 gold medals mostly from the sprints and relays, Edo had its success in the field events, while Akwa Ibom and Cross River shared between themselves the medals of middle and long distance races.
And this was what Edo State Athletics coach, Mutiu Oluwa said at the end of the contest. “Nobody can take it away from Delta State in athletics, they have a very good structure that produces quality athletes every year.
“If other states like Edo can do what they are doing then it is going to be a total showdown in future Niger Delta Games,” he declared.
Just before the closing ceremony, Delta State left no one in doubt that they are untouchable by winning three out of the four relay gold medals at stake.
It was Akwa Ibom State that by winning the men’s 4x400m stopped Delta State from a clean sweep on the final day.
A stunned Seun Ogunkoya, a former Nigeria sprint champion was forced to say: “The athletes gave it every thing that they had, because everyone wanted to make a statement. This is good for Nigeria athletics. Looking at the quality of the contest and running talents, the competition was very encouraging. This is just the start and I believe with many more to come, this country can boast of many athletes in the near future.”
Some revelations of the championship include Ejiro Peters who won a sprint double in the women’s 100m and 200m. She also won gold in the 4x100m.
Osama Chibueze also repeated the same feat for Delta State by winning a sprint double and the 4x100m.
In the 400m, David Udoh of Cross River State rocked the Delta booat, by taking the men’s 400m, and he also contributed to Cross River State taking the men’s 4x400m gold. Treasure Okereke had earlier won the women’s gold and also helped Delta State to win the women’s 4x400m.
Akwa Ibom’s Hephzibah Okon was quite a sensation in the women’s 800m but her quest for a double was checkmated by Cross River’s Godsmind Eteng in the 1500m.
In the men’s, Emmanuel Asuquo won it. Treasure Omosivwe was practically competing with herself in the women’s high jump as she was able to match her personal best of 1.75m to win the gold for Edo State.
“What we have seen here at the Niger Delta Games is quite encouraging, Nigeria, most especially the Niger Delta region is blessed with athletics talents,” Mrs Joyce Bozimo, organiser of the Warri Effurun Peace Marathon said, adding “Our only wish is that there should be a follow up on these athletes. We can have a camp like we used to have in Afuze where they could be trained, mentored and conditioned to become world champions.”
She also praised the organisation of the events, which according to her was excellent.
Chairman of the organising committee Sir Itiako Ikpokpo who is also Delta State Athletics Association chairman, was on hand to coordinate with the technical committee led by Enefiok Odo-Obong to ensure a smooth running of the Athletics events.
Ikpokpo said that the Games Scouting and Mentorship Committee have been monitoring the events at all the venues and are expected to come up with recommendations on the next steps. He however, encouraged the states to also ensure that athletes found to have potentials are provided with requisite support to blossom.
“All said, Dunamis-Icon Limited and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) do not own these athletes and we don’t intend to. We have only provided a platform for the athletes to showcase their talents and it is the states and the Federal agency that has the responsibility to make them national and international champions”, Ikpokpo said at a media conference before the games closed.
The nine states under the NDDC, namely, Delta, Edo, Ondo, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Imo, Abia, Bayelsa and Rivers, all participated at the NDG, Edo 2026.
