NDDC inaugurates committee for Niger Delta Sports Festival

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in Nigeria has officially inaugurated the organising committee for the upcoming Niger Delta Sports Festival, set to take place from April 1st to 5th, 2025, in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

During the inauguration, Hon. Alabo Boma Iyaye, the Executive Director of Finance and Administration, encouraged committee members to work diligently to ensure a successful and seamless event.

He emphasised that the Niger Delta region has historically produced many outstanding individuals who have brought pride to the area.

“You have been carefully selected because of your expertise and knowledge in sports development and the organisation of large competitions.

“This committee is responsible for planning and executing a successful event. The Niger Delta region has produced numerous athletes who have made our country proud, but there has been a gap in the development of such talents for some time. The NDDC aims to fill this void,” he stated.

Representing the nine sports commissioners from the NDDC’s mandated states present at the inauguration, Hon. Daniel Igali, the Commissioner of Sports for Bayelsa State, expressed gratitude to the commission for organising this inaugural sports festival in the region.

“We commend the NDDC for this noble initiative. In the history of sports in Nigeria, we have never had a regional sports festival like this, which will elevate sports to an unprecedented level and provide an opportunity to develop our youth and reduce criminal activities in the region,” he remarked.

The Niger Delta Sports Festival in Uyo in 2025 is part of a series of events celebrating the 25th anniversary of the NDDC’s establishment.

About NDDC

NDDC is a federal government agency established on June 5, 2000, to develop the oil-rich Niger Delta region of Nigeria.

The commission’s mandate includes formulating policies and guidelines for the development of the Niger Delta area, conceiving and implementing projects and programs for sustainable development, and surveying the Niger Delta to ascertain measures necessary to promote its physical and socio-economic development.

The NDDC has been working to complete ongoing projects in the region, including roads, bridges, schools, and healthcare facilities.

In February 2025, the commission is set to begin a new round of project commissioning across the Niger Delta region.

Some of the landmark projects to be inaugurated include multi-purpose emergency shelters in Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers states.

The commission is also working to align its annual budgets with the year to which they relate, submitting budgets to the National Assembly by September of the preceding year.

Despite facing challenges and controversies in the past, the NDDC remains a crucial part of the government’s regional growth agenda.

The commission has been working to improve infrastructure, water supply, and electrification in the Niger Delta region.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Regional Development, Abubakar Momoh, has debunked rumors about plans to scrap the NDDC, assuring stakeholders that the commission continues to play a vital role in driving socio-economic development in the region.

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