From Mike Tayese, Yenagoa

The Central Organizing Committee (COC) of Nigeria’s biggest grassroots football spectacle, the Bayelsa Governor’s Football Tournament, tagged the Prosperity Cup, has concluded arrangements for this year’s local government area (LGA) finals across the eight local government areas of the State.

‎This was contained in a statement signed by Tournament Director, Ebi Avi in preparation for this year’s edition of the LGA finals after weeks of beautiful football across thirty different centres.

The statement said the LGA finals began in Nembe LGA on Sunday, at the Nembe City Stadium as high-scoring Okoroma United of Okoroma battled Fantuo FC of Fantuo for the ₦1,000,000 prize money at stake.

‎Hon. Braah Oteigbanyo, the Member representing Nembe Constituency 1 in the State House of Assembly and Hon. David Alagoa, Chairman of Member Local Government Council is expected to be on hand to cheer the boys.

According to the statement, attention will shift to Ogbia LGA on Monday, 13th April, 2026 with determined Movers FC of Otuasega confronting Edi 1 FC of Ayakoro at the Imiringi Mini Stadium.

‎The statement equally stated that Hon. Gabriel Ogbara, Chief Whip of the State House of Assembly, the Chairman of Ogbia LGA, Hon. Jeremiah Golden, alongside other stakeholders, are expected to grace the occasion.

On Tuesday, 14th April, 2026, the excitement will move to Ekeremor LGA as two-time champions, Krosaders FC of Peretorugbene tackle Osunmabio of Osainmabio at Ayamasa School field.

‎The House Committee Chairman on Sports, Hon. Tare Porri will be joined by the Commissioner, Local Government and Community Development, Hon Thompson Amule and other stakeholders to add colour to the event.

The statement also explains that Kolobiriowei FC of Bulou-Orua will engage Agoro United of Agoro in the Sagbama LGA finals on Wednesday, 15th April, 2026 at the Ebedebiri pitch.

‎The Director General, Bayelsa Micro-Finance Enterprise Development Agency, Hon. Embeleakpo Apere is expected to be the Special Guest of Honour.

‎It further states that the Prosperity Cup train will move to Kolokuma/Opokuma on Thursday, April 16th, 2026 as Mountain of the Lord’s Deliverance Ministry, MLDM FC of Odi entertain Odi United in the battle of two Odi giants at the Kaiama pitch.

‎Hon Pamo Werenipre and Hon. Wisdom Fafi, both Members of the State House of Assembly and Hon. Lelei Tariye, Chairman, Kolokuma/Opokuma LGA will be there to add colour to the fiesta.

According to the statement, Amassoma will have the luxury of hosting the enterprising NDU Oilers FC of Amassoma and the rugged Onde United of Ondewari on Friday, 17th of April, 2026 in the Southern Ijaw LGA finals.

‎Women Affairs Commissioner, Hon. Joanah Gigi and Chairman, Southern Ijaw Local Government Council, Hon. Target Segibo will be among guests to be entertained.

‎Avi disclosed that Saturday, 18th April, 2026 will be the turn of Brass LGA as Mini FC of Minibie welcomes Igoni FC of Odioma at the beautiful Island of Okpoama, pointing out that Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Abraham Ingobere is among the dignitaries to watch the final.

‎The Tournament Director also said Bayelsa United Feeders and Brazil FC of Yenagoa will be at each other’s throats as they battle for glory at the Samson Siasia Stadium Sunday, 19th of April, 2026.

‎Hon. Ayibanengiyefa Egba, Member representing Yenagoa Constituency 1 in the State House of Assembly and Hon. Bulodisiye Ndiwari, Chairman of Yenagoa LGA will be among the guests.

‎He equally stated that the kick-off time for all the matches is 1:00pm with the winners of each match smiling to the bank with ₦1,000,000 while the runners-up will receive ₦500,000.

‎Ebi Avi appreciated all the sponsors; Premium Trust Bank, the Bayelsa State Government, Linkage Assurance, NDDC, NCDMB, Nigeria Customs Service, Binad Table Water and the Bayelsa State Board of Internal Revenue for their immense support for the growth of tournament.

The Chairman of Lobi Stars Football Club of Makurdi, Simon Ikya, said the club’s sole target is to gain promotion to the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) 2026/2027 season.

Ikya stated this while addressing newsmen in Makurdi on Thursday regarding the club’s progress during the just-concluded Nigerian National League (NNL) season.

Ikya took over the reins of the club mid-season.

He said that the team did their best but narrowly missed out on returning to the NPFL, as the club finished second in NNL Conference C behind Doma United of Gombe.

The chairman said that many challenges, including playing home matches away from Makurdi, an over-bloated squad, and legal issues, among others, scuttled the team’s efforts to achieve its goal.

“But when the governor gave me the go-ahead to do everything humanly possible to bring the team back to Makurdi, we are now playing our home matches at McCarthy Stadium, Makurdi.

“Playing away from home meant we were basically playing all our games away, and it was costing us too much money.

“Then we worked on adding a bit of bite to the team, which we did. And if you noticed, in the second round we played much better than we did in the first round.

“Another challenge was the number of players. We had 67 of them, which is too much, but what I did was review the squad, select 25 players to form Team A, and move the rest to Team B.

“That helped us improve towards the end, and we were even able to win an away game, which was our last,” he explained.

Ikya said that the wage bill was taking a toll on the team and assured that all the players whose contracts expired would be shown the exit door.

“We finished second, which wasn’t our target. As mentioned, we will sit down to address all these issues.

“I didn’t handle recruitment, and I didn’t come in on time. But next season, I won’t have any excuses. Our target will be promotion, and we must get the right players to achieve it.

“The truth is that the governor has been very supportive. I even feel ashamed of going before him sometimes. But given the circumstances we found ourselves in, there was little we could have done.

“Now that we have the opportunity to recruit our own players and properly prepare the team, I don’t think we have any excuse not to gain promotion next season.

“Regarding some of the cases we inherited, we had to include them in the wage bill because we are part of the system,” he added.

The Nigeria Olympic Committee has announced June 27, 2026, as the date for this year’s Olympic Day celebration, with plans underway to stage a nationwide event promoting physical activity and social inclusion under the global auspices of Olympic Solidarity.

The committee explained in a statement on Tuesday that the annual initiative would provide a platform to encourage Nigerians of all ages to embrace core Olympic ideals, while also highlighting the importance of regular exercise in daily life.

“This annual event serves as a premier global platform to champion the benefits of physical activity, offering Nigerians of all ages the opportunity to embrace the Olympic values of Excellence, Friendship, and Respect,” the statement read.

The NOC further stressed that simple activities such as jogging and walking remain effective ways to improve overall health, noting that they help to burn calories, strengthen muscles and ease mental stress.

Chairman of the Sport-For-All Commission, Abdul Ibrahim, reinforced the focus of the 2026 campaign, explaining that it is designed to promote inclusivity and shared participation.

He emphasised that engaging in physical activity alongside others improves motivation and social connection, urging participants to bring new people into the movement.

He said the campaign encourages collective participation and added that “exercising is far more impactful when shared,” while calling on individuals to invite others to join them in staying active.

Following what the committee described as record-breaking participation in 2025, it confirmed that invitation letters have been sent to all states of the federation, urging state sports councils to commence early preparations to ensure widespread reach.

The statement noted that organisers are targeting nationwide engagement “to ensure a high-impact event that reaches every nook and corner of the country.”

President of the NOC, Habu Gumel, also outlined a broader social objective for this year’s celebration, stating that the initiative aims to strengthen relationships across age groups through sport.

He highlighted that the goal is to connect younger and older generations through shared physical activity, noting that “this year’s goal is to bridge generational gaps by using physical activity to foster meaningful connections between youth and older people.”