2nd NDG: Team Bayelsa in Benin City to Compete, Says Igali

Posted : 22 February 2026

The Delta State Commissioner for Sports Development, Daniel Igali, says his team is in Benin City to compete for the top gong at the 2nd Niger Delta Games.

Igali made the assertion in an interview at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in the Edo State capital as he acknowledged that the contest for the overall winners at the fiesta would be fierce and stiff.

“For the past three National Sports Festivals, we have been in the top three — third and second twice. Though in the last edition they said we were third, we believe we were second.

“We can’t be considered also-ran. Bayelsa is among the top sporting states in the country. As for the Niger Delta Games, we won the first edition, and this second edition is different.

“The last one was a senior festival for ages 25 and under; now it’s 19 and under, so we are now talking about junior athletes. Whoever wins here will be winning it for the first time.

“The one we won, no team can win again, so we are standing on a pedestal no team can stand. But we are here to compete, and we believe that we will be one of the top teams here.

“Across the board, we feel that we have assembled a good team, we have a good youth discovery network, and there will be very vigorous competition, but Bayelsa will be among the top contenders,” he declared.

On why Bayelsa has in the last few years emerged as one of the frontline states in sports in the country and the Niger Delta, the Commissioner explained that the secret of the success story is due to the support of Governor Douye Diri.

“Over the past few years, especially in the advent of the present Gov. Douye Diri, there has been a new thrust, push, and vision because, being a former Commissioner for Sport himself, when Bayelsa achieved its first highest position in the medals table at the National Sports Festival in 2006 in Abeokuta, he has come with renewed vigour as funding and everything has improved. So when you now see Bayelsa contesting to be the number one sporting destination in the country, it should not surprise anyone because of the approvals of His Excellency,” Igali asserted.

He remarked that Governor Diri, in the twilight of his reign, is building two new stadiums, including a 30,000-seating-capacity brand-new facility at Igbogene, Yenagoa, and another 15,000-seating stadium in Sampou in Kolokuma-Opokuma Local Government Area, to prepare grounds for Bayelsa to host the 2028 National Sports Festival.

According to him, this is to bequeath to Governor Diri’s successor a hundred percent sporting facility, which would make Bayelsa continuously relevant.

He stated that this would give athletes in the state and beyond a conducive environment to train and make a mark in national and global competitions.

2nd NDG: Team Bayelsa in Benin City to Compete, Says Igali

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