Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) clubs have been pointed in the direction of the forthcoming Niger Delta Sports Festival (NDSF) as an organic scouting ground for players.
While endorsing the festival, scheduled to hold from 1 to 8 April in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, NPFL Chairman, Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye said he is specifically excited by the Festival Ambassadors initiative, which, he said, would feed the aspirational hunger of budding athletes.
Elegbeleye, former Director General of the National Sports Commission, obviously has the pedigree to speak on the benefits of multi-sports events like the festival having superintended the participation of Nigeria in the Commonwealth Games and the Winter Olympics, where the country made good medals returns
Accomplished sports personalities Nwankwo Kanu, Blessing Oborodudu, Victor Ikpeba and Enefiok Udo-Obong have been appointed Festival Ambassadors. There are also Emmanuel Amunike, Tamunosiki Atorudibo, Patience Igbiti, Seun Ogunkoya and Efioanwan Ekpo.
Supporting the choice of the sports personalities, the NPFL boss said: ‘The organisers could not have done better than to go for those who have made the nation proud in major international competitions like the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games and other various World Championships as Ambassadors of the Nigeria Delta Sports Festival.
‘The goals of Kanu, Ikpeba and Amunike were crucial in getting Nigeria an important gold medal at the 1996 Olympic Games, just as our anchor, Enee (Udo-Obong) ran the race of his life which resulted in Nigeria securing a gold medal in 4 x 400m in Australia, four years later.
‘Blessing Oborodudu’s heroics on the mat culminated in a much needed Olympics silver medal, while two-time African Athletics Championship winner, Seun Ogunkoya’s record in 100m remains intact since 1998’.
Supporting the inclusion of Paralympic athlete and coach, Patience Igbiti, who clinched medals in consecutive Olympic Games, Elegbeleye further said: ‘Patience’s consistency in powerlifting got her Olympic Games medals in 2004 and 2008 before becoming a coach of repute’.
An indigene of Ondo State, one of the Niger Delta Development Commission mandate states, Elegbeleye said he is proud to be part of the region that has blazed the trail in regional games as a trigger for grassroots sports development.
The Festival Ambassadors will be unveiled in Owerri, the Imo State capital, on Friday, and over 3,000 athletes and 600 coaches from nine states would be in Uyo to compete for medals in 17 sports.
