Duro Ikhazuagbe
The Director General of the Prosperity Cup, the biggest grassroots football tournament in the country, Ono Akpe, has hailed UEFA for extending invites to Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri and former NFF and FIFA Council Member, Mr Amaju Melvin Pinnick OFR ROI, as Special Guests at this year’s UEFA Champions League final in Budapest, Hungary.
Both Diri and Pinnick were the only Nigerian VIPs at the Champions League final between PSG and Arsenal that the French team won in penalty shootouts a fortnight ago.
Akpe told THISDAY at the weekend that it was something special to be singled out for recognition and be invited as VIP to the Champions League final that was the global centre of attention that weekend.
“It is something special. I considered it a great honour to single out our Bayelsa Governor, His Excellency, Senator Douye Diri and former FIFA Council Member, Mr Amaju Melvin Pinnick OFR ROI, who is now the Presidential Advisor to the CAF President as well as Deputy Chair of FIFA Men’s National Teams, to be invited as special guests of UEFA in Budapest,”observed Akpe.
He insisted that nothing in the Nigerian constitution forbids a sitting governor from attending the biggest European club football competition final, most especially when invited as guests of UEFA.
“The two gentlemen should be celebrated by Nigerians for being singled out to be invited to the final by UEFA.
“For the information of those who perhaps did not know the background of our Bayelsa State Governor Diri, he is a former Nigerian Football Federation Board Member; a former Sports Commissioner in Bayelsa and someone who has funded football and sports more than most governors in the 36 states of the federation.
“As I speak with you, Governor Diri has invested in two stadiums: the 30,000-capacity stadium at Igbogene and the 5,000-capacity stadium at Sampou in Kolokuma/Opokuma LGA in addition to the Samson Siasia Stadium in Yenagoa.The 5,000 capacity stadium in Sampou will be inaugurated early next year ahead of our hosting the National Sports Festival in 2027.”
The Prosperity Cup director general also pointed at the MoU between the state and the FC Barcelona Academy.
“Bayelsa International Youth Football Tournament is going to hold in Yenagoa sometime in October. The one-week international showpiece will feature four foreign academy teams. We are still in discussion and so cannot release the names at this stage .They will play alongside four Nigerian teams including Bayelsa Starlets Academy, which is affiliated to FC Barcelona. All these are all meant to deepen grassroots football development in the state.”
On the relegation of Bayelsa United from the NPFL, Akpe insisted that critics failed to recall that it was under the same Gov Diri that both Bayelsa United and Bayelsa Queens became Nigerian champions in 2021. That Bayelsa United has dropped to the lower division is not the making of the Governor as he gave all necessary support needed to make the team thrive. They will return to the topflight very soon.
“Bayelsa United and Bayelsa Queens won both the Male and Female AITEO President’s FA Cups on the same night at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City. Our ladies won the Nigeria Women’s Football League in 2023 and 2025. Our Queens also represented Nigeria in the CAF Champions League and won bronze.”
In terms of other sports, Bayelsa currently rates amongst the three best states in performance index in the National Sports Festival of 36 states and the FCT. “Bayelsa won the first edition of the Niger Delta Games and has contributed the highest number of Nigerian champions at both continental and global competitions like the African Games, Commonwealth Games and the Olympics. Miss Blessing Oborududu is a 14-time African champion and was the winner of one of Nigeria’s two silver medals from the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games held in 2021,” concludes Akpe.
