Gov. Monday Okpebholo of Edo has affirmed the state’s readiness to host the February 2026 edition of the Niger Delta Sports Festival.
Okpebholo said this on Tuesday when the Management of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) paid him a courtesy visit in Benin.
He was responding to the commission’s proposal to Edo to host the event.
He assured the commission that the state would deliver “a successful and memorable festival.
“You have chosen the right state. We are not 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 said.
Meanwhile, the governor has appealed to the commission for partnership to rehabilitate the Agbor-Uromi Road, which he described as “not motorable,” emphasising its importance for economic and social movement.
Earlier, the NDDC Managing Director, Chief Samuel Ogbuku, congratulated Okpebholo on his first anniversary in office and commended his administration’s strides, particularly in the areas of sports and infrastructure development.
Ogbuku said that the visit was to formally seek the state’s hosting of the 2026 edition of the Niger Delta Games, with the theme, “Beyond Oil: Harnessing Talents.”
According to him, the festival, which had its maiden edition earlier this year, with over 3,000 athletes from the nine Niger Delta states in attendance, is designed to strengthen regional integration, using sports as a unifying tool.
He emphasised the importance of fostering collaboration between the commission and the Governments of the member states.
He regretted that tensions in the past hindered progress.
“Your Excellency, NDDC is not just 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,” Ogbuku said.
He highlighted ongoing and completed NDDC projects in Edo, including interventions in erosion control, ecological challenges, and internal roads in Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, and Edo State Polytechnic, Usen.
In a closing remark, the Chairman of the Edo Sports Commission, Desmond Enabulele, thanked the governor for his strong support and commitment to sports’ development.
Enabulele said that with Edo’s advanced sporting infrastructure and renewed regional collaboration, the upcoming event was expected to draw athletes from Delta, Rivers, Bayelsa, and other Niger Delta states, positioning Edo as a central hub for sports excellence.
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