The government of Rivers state has expressed confidence that its contingent to the 20th National Sports Festival tagged Edo 2020, coming up later this month will excel.

Commissioner for sports in the oil rich state Boma Iyaye during a press briefing today as the state continue to put finishing touches to their preparations for the multi sports event said the government is doing everything humanly possible to ensure that the Athletes will not lack basic motivation.

In his speech, He said “Rivers state has always participated in all editions of the National Sports Festival since the inception in 1973, we have hosted two editions in 1988 and 2011 respectively”

The commissioner added that “In recent past, we have been a major contender during the 2011, 2012 editions, it’s our commitment and desire to maintain the BAR in the Edo 2020 edition, in spite of the several postponements”.

Boma Iyaye stressed that the support of the state Governor, His Excellency Nyesom Wike has been tremendous, He said his interest in sport gives credence to his intention of unifying the state through youth empowerment and his will to tackle youth restiveness.

For the multi sports event, Rivers state is going to Edo with 434 athletes and 144 officials to compete for Honours in 29 sports.

Abula, Beach Volleyball, Athletics, Ayo, Badminton, Boxing, Chess, Cycling and Table Tennis are among the sports team Rivers is expected to take part in.

Speaking at the occasion, Mr. Dare said” From time immemorial, Rivers state had a reputation of producing notable people like the Great Jaja of Opobo, Alfred Diette Spiff, Justice Karibe White, foremost viriologist Professor Tam David West, two Sports Ministers Alabo Graham Douglas and Tammy Danagogo. In football, Sharks which metamorphosed to Rivers United had produced world acclaimed players.
Today’s event is therefore not only ephocal, but Special and monumental. I’m confident that The Real Madrid Academy Ph will produce fantastic players like Paul Hamilton, Adokiye Amaesimaka, Jossy Dombraye, Taribo West, Furo Iyenemi and Nigeria’s most capped player Joseph Yobo. The foundation for the actualisation of this dream has been laid today”.

The Minister further said ” Although two Nigerians Emmanuel Amuneke and Gbenga Okunowo had played for Real Madrid bitter rivals Barcelona, no Nigerian has played for the Galaticos. The setting up of this institution could change that trajectory by producing new Ferenck Puskas, Santiago Bernabeur, Raul Gonzalez , Roberto Carlos, Zinedine zidane and Ronaldo.”
Mr Dare affirmed that ” Since the main objective is to promote in Rivers State and Nigeria the values inherent in football as a profession, The Real Madrid Football Academy Ph is an educational tool capable of contributing to the comprehensive development of our youth by creating jobs and wealth. It also in sync with our motive of combining education and sports which are inseparable”

He assured the Rivers State Government of the support of the Federal Ministry of Youth and sports Development to ensuring the implementation of the Academy’s mandate
The Real Madrid Football Academy, Ph was founded in 2019 by the Governor of Rivers State having been given the Franchise to operate by the Real Madrid Foundation.

Signed

Media Office of the Honorable Minister of Youth and sports Development

Responding to an unknown quantity would simply have been a waste of time but for the need to inform decent and reasonable people in Nigeria’s sports sector and beyond the shores of the country.

Recently, one Victor Enyinnaya, who was apparently invited to come and eat, threw caution to the wind and wove a tapestry of pure lies about Rivers State Commissioner for Sports and, Rivers United Football Club.

In his clearly poorly constructed write up, he sought to diminish the contributions of Rivers Sports Commissioner, Boma Iyaye to sports development in Nigeria.

He also went out of his way to talk about Rivers United and recent developments in Nigerian Professional Football League. 

In the manifestly poor and shallow write up, Enyinnaya spoke about issues he has absolutely no clue about and did not even bother to give any sound reasoning as to his cocktail of hallucinations.   

For the records, Boma Iyaye is one of the successful sports commissioners in the history of Nigeria and the records speak tellingly.

Just to educate Victor Enyinnaya, under Iyaye’s watch, Rivers hosted and won the 11th National Sports Festival, just as his tenure has witnessed the emergence of Honour Sirawoo as the President, Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and, Governor Nyesom Wike being honoured with the Power of Sports in Africa by the AIPS.

Since Enyinnaya does not read and clearly has no sense of history, it is important to inform him that Rivers State has hosted Super Eagles, Olympic Team, African Badminton Championship, National and African Wrestling Championship, Full Council Meeting of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Rivers Sports Festival, among several others with Boma Iyaye superintending as the sports commissioner.  

The case of Rivers United is widely known and every discerning football lover and followers of the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) know that there has been a miscarriage of justice in determining who comes second and third on the league table.

Rivers United has committed no crime in explaining to the League Management Company (LMC) and NFF that the club has solid grounds on which it is demanding for justice, fairness and equity.

The quest by Rivers United to rightly fight for what belongs to the club cannot be deterred by hirelings like the author, who confessed that he had a soft spot for Nigeria Football Association (NFF) President, Amaju Pinnick and could as well have been doing his bidding.

No amount of hatchet writing by the paid agents of Amaju Pinnick will deter Rivers United from seeking the course of justice.   

In the words of Thomas Jefferson, “The price of liberty is eternal vigilance.”