The Director-General of the Bayelsa Governor’s Football Tournament, popularly known as the Prosperity Cup, Mr. Ono Akpe has extended warm congratulations to Bayelsa-born business mogul, Chief Ken Etete, on the landmark achievement of lifting Obodo blend oil for international export.

In a statement on behalf of the Central Organizing Committee (COC), Mr. Akpe lauded Etete’s unwavering commitment and sacrifices that have culminated in this remarkable feat. The Prosperity Cup organizers expressed delight in the growth and success of Century Group in the oil sector, acknowledging the company’s significant contributions to the nation’s economy.

Mr. Akpe highlighted the symbiotic relationship between the Prosperity Cup and Century Group, noting that the company’s support for the tournament in the past speaks volumes about its dedication to youth and sports development in the Niger Delta region. ” When I paid a courtesy call to your corporate headquarters earlier in the year, I was excited about your commitment to support the youths of the Bayelsa State and the Niger Delta region in general. We are thus quite thrilled to partner with Century Group and appreciate the trust you’ve placed in us over the years,” he said.

The Prosperity Cup boss emphasized that Etete’s leadership and vision have been instrumental in Century Group’s success, particularly in the oil sector. “Your achievement is a testament to your hard work and dedication. We’re not surprised, given Century Group’s reputation as a leading brand in Nigeria,” Akpe added.

He further noted that Century Group’s support for the Prosperity Cup reflects its commitment to positively engaging youths in the state. “Sports is a powerful tool for youth development, and we appreciate your recognition of its importance,” Akpe said.

The Prosperity Cup organizers look forward to continued collaboration with Century Group, leveraging sports as a catalyst for youth empowerment and development in Bayelsa State, especially in this years edition. “We look forward to your distinguished support in this 7th edition, and are honored to partner with Century Group. We commend your recent achievements and pray that God continues to bless your endeavors,” Akpe concluded.

The Prosperity Cup, Nigeria’s biggest grassroots football spectacle, has been a platform for promoting sports development, youth empowerment, and community engagement in Bayelsa State. Century Group’s support for the tournament underscores its commitment to corporate social responsibility and community development.

The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has conducted a Computer-Based Test, CBT, for 6,000 applicants from the nine Niger Delta states for its Foreign Postgraduate Scholarship programme.

Speaking at the Information and Communication Technology Centre of the Rivers State University, Port Harcourt, where the tests were conducted, the NDDC Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Alabo Boma Iyaye, said that the Commission was intentional about its human capacity development programmes.

He stated: “The successful applicants for the Computer-Based Test are drawn from all nine Niger Delta states, and there are several test sessions spread over three days.

We had some challenges during the shortlisting process due to some applicants’ inability to submit the relevant information and documents.”

The Executive Director observed that the financial burden of the foreign scholarship was huge.

However, he assured the Commission would sustain the programme and introduce new components by including scholarships in local universities.

Iyaye announced that the NDDC would introduce scholarships for undergraduate students in Nigerian universities.

“This will enable us to accommodate more persons in the scholarship programme,” he said.

The NDDC Director of Education, Health and Social Services, Dr George Uzonwanne, noted that the scholarship programme, started in 2010, was designed to produce top-level professionals with technical knowledge, capacity, and expertise to compete in the oil and gas industry and other sectors.

He said: “The Scholarship Programme will equip our young people with relevant training and skills for effective participation in the local content programme of the Federal Government, as well as enable them to acquire specialisation in their fields of study to compete globally in various disciplines.
Uzonwanne expressed optimism that the transparent process of selecting beneficiaries for the foreign scholarship scheme would continue to produce first-class performers.

He stated that the scholarship programme covered science disciplines, including engineering, agricultural science, environmental science, geosciences, information technology, and management sciences. Others are law and architecture.

The Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr Samuel Ogbuku, says legal advocacy on issues affecting the region is essential for driving its development.

Ogbuku made this known while opening this year’s NDDC MOOT and Mock Trial Competition for Universities in the Niger Delta region in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

In a statement by NDDC Director, Corporate Affairs Seledi Thompson-Wakama, Ogbuku reminded the participants that the Commission was interested in the growth of the region’s youth.

Ogbuku, who was represented by the Executive Director of Finance and Administration, Alabo Boma Iyaye. stated that the Commission would continue to support the growth of education in the region.

The NDDC boss noted that the Commission had intervened in the educational sector severally and built hostels in various universities and polytechnics in the Niger Delta region.

In a keynote Address, the former Attorney-General of Rivers State, Professor Zaccheus Adangor SAN, explained that the legal profession had remained noble, honorable, and learned.He challenged the students to maintain integrity in their journey in legal practice.

The legal luminary counselled participants to note that people bring their issues to the court to get justice, and as such, lawyers should be persons of good character with trustworthy attributes.

While thanking the NDDC for sponsoring the competition, he advised students to be open to learning and ideas, considering that the legal profession demanded sound knowledge in various areas.

He insisted that honesty, integrity, and good character were essential virtues that every legal practitioner needed.

Professor Adangor maintained that lawyers should invest in knowledge as ministers in the temple of Justice, urging legal practitioners to always buy soft and hard copies of books.
Prof Adangor emphasised the importance of moving with new trends and following all the changes in the legal profession.

The Chairman of the occasion, a Judge of the Rivers State High Court, Justice Daketima Gabriel Kio, acknowledged that NDDC, led by Ogbuku, had made a significant and positive difference in the region’s development.

According to him, the Moot and Mock Trial competition, supported by the NDDC, would be a good platform for regional integration and law students to become successful legal practitioners.

Earlier in his welcome address, the NDDC Acting Director, Legal Services, Sir Victor Arenyeka. expressed joy that last year’s moot competition was impactful and considered one of the best in the country by stakeholders.

He noted that NDDC designed the competition to prepare students from the region on issues affecting Niger Delta region, such as Environmental Law, Oil and Gas and Sustainable Development.

The chairman of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, UK, Port Harcourt branch, Mr. Emeka Onyeka, described the sponsorship of the competition by NDDC as one of the best investments made by the Commission.

He encouraged students to use the knowledge judiciously.
About twenty law Faculties from Universities in the Niger Delta region participated in the competition and were gifted the latest edition of the Nigerian weekly law reports by the NDDC.

...As Bayelsa State Table Tennis Association Unveils Foreign Coach and Festival Squad…

It was a joyous moment as stakeholders in the sports sector across the country converged on Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital to inaugurate a world class ultra-modern table tennis facility, the “Coastal Fortress”.

The Coastal Fortress is a state-of-the-art facility built by Ama-Ebi Ebikpolade Stow, the chairman of the Bayelsa State Table Tennis Association to give table tennis players adequate preparation for tournaments.

Inaugurating the beautiful edifice, Governor Douye Diri who was accompanied by his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo and other political appointees, noted that the initiator of the project, Mr. Ama-Ebi Ebikpolade Stow has written his name in gold, describing the event as a momentous occasion.

He noted that sports development remains one of the key pillars of his administration’s “Assured” Prosperity programme, maintaining that sports is one area that can positively take the youths away from crime and criminality.

According to the state helmsman, sports has given the youths in the state a means of livelihood apart from education, stating that sports as a skill has ensured many youths in the world are self-reliant.

He noted that team Nigeria’s brilliant outing in the just-concluded African Senior Wrestling Championship in Casablanca, Morocco was a reflection of the huge investment in the development of sports, saying that wrestling remains a sport in which Bayelsa enjoys comparative advantage.

Governor Diri, while appreciating the Bayelsa State Table Tennis Association chairman for his investment in table tennis, asserted that Mr. Stow has reduced the pressure on government, urging other well meaning Bayelsans to invest in sports development.

Governor Diri equally announced the appointment of the South South representative of the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation, as Technical Adviser to the governor on sports, Table Tennis, describing him as a role model to the younger generation.

“As you know, sports development is one of the key pillars of our Assured development programme. Sports is one area we can use to remove our youths from crime and criminality”

“For me, it brings a very great pleasure to be here to see what this young man has done. I believe this facility will be so beneficial to the people of Bayelsa State and Nigeria”, Governor Diri stated.

Director General of the National Sports Commission, Hon Bukola Olapade, represented by the Special Advisers to DG on sports Mr. Ebidowei Oweifie, said the event was a testament of the governor’s unwavering passion for sports development.

Earlier in his address of welcome, Commissioner for Sports Development Dr. Daniel Igali, opined that the development of sports would not be complete without good facilities, pointing out that Mr. Stow’s gesture has lifted the soul of the government.

In a remark, chairman of the Bayelsa State Table Association, Mr. Ama-Ebi Ebikpolade Stow, reflected on his journey in table tennis, which began in 2018 when he served as Vice Chairman under former Director of Sports, Chief Patimidi Tukuru.

He explained that the Fortress is more than a personal venture but a contribution to the sporting future of Bayelsa State, and that the facility is designed to close the gap between the kids of the poor and the rich, stressing that every athlete would be treated with equal opportunity, regardless of background.

The NTTF South South rep noted that the facility is equipped with a range of modern amenities designed to support both training and comfort which includes, two restaurants, chairman’s office, reception, sports lounges, separate changing rooms for athletes and four conveniences.

In separate goodwill messages, Senator Benson Agadaga, the Senator representing Bayelsa East who doubles as chairman of the occasion and Chairman House Committee on Sports, Hon Tare Porri, appreciated the vision bearer Ama-Ebi Ebikpolade Stow for complimenting the government’s efforts, adding that the facility would keep young people in the state busy.

The highpoint of the event was the unveiling of the foreign coach, Luciano Esposito from Italy as well as Bayelsa State Table Tennis Team to the National Sports Festival in Abeokuta, Ogun State.