Edo Set to Host 2026 Niger Delta Sports Festival As Okpebholo Declares Readiness
Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has reaffirmed the State’s readiness to host the next edition of the Niger Delta Sports Festival scheduled for February 2026.
The governor 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.
Welcoming the NDDC delegation, Okpebholo pledged that Edo would deliver a successful and memorable festival, adding “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 also appealed for NDDC’s partnership in rehabilitating the Agbor–Uromi Road, which he described as “not motorable,” stressing its importance to economic and social activities across the region.
In his remarks, the NDDC Managing Director, Chief Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, congratulated Governor Okpebholo on his one year in office and commended his administration’s achievements in sports and infrastructure development.
Ogbuku explained that the visit was to formally seek Edo State’s hosting of the forthcoming Niger Delta Games, themed “Beyond Oil: Harnessing Talents.”
He noted that the maiden edition, held earlier this year, featured more than 3,000 athletes from the nine Niger Delta states and was designed to promote regional integration through sports.
He emphasized the need for stronger collaboration between the NDDC and state governments, noting that past tensions had slowed 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,” he said.
Ogbuku highlighted several ongoing and completed NDDC projects in Edo State, including erosion control interventions, ecological restoration works, and internal road projects at 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.
