Niger Delta Sports Festival 2025: Abia State inaugurates liaison committee

By Emma Jemegah

Abia State has inaugurated the Niger Delta Sports Festival (NDSF) Liaison Committee, the event was held on Friday February 7, 2025, at the office of the Commissioner for Sports and Youth Development Abia State, Nwaobilor Ananaba, Nwadinma at his office in Umuahia, Abia State.

Its objective is to revive, spot, and nurture athletes in the Niger Delta zone.

The committee, chaired by Onyebuchi Chukwu, aims to focus on grassroots sports development, particularly for local athletes aged 25 and below, with exceptions for para-athletes.

The initiative emphasizes the importance of sports development at the grassroots level, especially given Nigeria’s declining performance in international tournaments, such as the Paris Olympics 2024.

The goal is not solely focused on winning but rather on reviving and rehabilitating sports and sports structures across all NDDC states. Mr Fred Edoreh, General Coordinator of Dunamis Icon, emphasized the importance of grassroots sports development, citing Nigeria’s declining performance in international tournaments.

He stated that the competition’s goal is to revive and rehabilitate sports and sports structures, in the NDDC zone.

The Commissioner of Sports and Youth Development, Sir Nwaobilor Ananaba, applauded the initiative, reiterating the state’s commitment to talent discovery, nurturing, and development.

He highlighted the state’s efforts in grassroots sports development over the last 18 months and its continued efforts to nurture the budding talents that were discovered in those events through intentional coaching and monitoring etc.

The competition, sponsored by the NDDC, seeks to empower youths and give back to communities under the organization.

Notably, the state aims to become an economic zone for sports, with sports development already on its agenda. The NDSF Liaison Committee is expected to play a crucial role in achieving this goal.