Director General, National Sports Commission (NSC), Hon. Bukola Olopade says that with the continued success of the Niger Delta Games, the Dunamis Icon Ltd, led by its Managing Consultant, Sir Itiako Ikpokpo, have proved that they are the number one sports entrepreneurs in Nigeria.
Olopade made this declaration at the Cultural Expo Night held at Cathelea Suites & Convention, Benin on Wednesday night, an event organised as part of activities to round off the 2nd Niger Delta Games.
At the event which witnessed a variety of top performances from A-list artistes as well as cultural exhibitions from various ethnicities across the Niger Delta region, Olopade noted that only a goal-driven organisation can pull off such successful events.
“I must commend the organisers of this great event for their efforts and with all these innovations, I can boldly say that Malik (as Ikpokpo is fondly called) is the number one sports entrepreneur in Nigeria,” declared an obviously flabbergasted Olopade.
The 2nd Niger Delta Games reached a thrilling climax on Thursday after young athletes from the nine states of the region had competed in sixteen different sports for the past one week at the nation’s Heartbeat.
The NSC DG further hailed the Niger Delta Games’ zero tolerance for cheating of any form as they strive to produce genuine talents that will represent the county for many years to come.
“I want to thank Malik (and his Dunamis Icon crew) once more. A few weeks ago, the LOC (of the Niger Delta games) in Calabar decided to establish an integrity unit in conformity with world’s best practices. We say we must hit hard on age cheating, we say our sport must be clean and devoid of drug cheats.
“I read from afar a few days ago that even those who won medals were stripped of their medals after it was discovered that they were cheating through age discrepancies. That speaks volume to the credibility and integrity of these games.”
Olopade then pledged NSC’s commitment towards supporting the Niger Delta Games in future editions while also enjoining other regions in the country to take a cue from the good works of the Dunamis Icon Ltd.
“I want to confirm to the Dunamis Icon and the NDDC and to the children of the Niger Delta that from the NSC, we will support this event beyond your comprehension.
“I am also calling on all other commissions from the other zones in the country to take a cue from what Dunamis Icon have done. We need to use this example to drive sports across the country because what you are doing in Niger Delta is amazing,” added the Sports marketing guru.
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The 2nd Niger Delta Games came to a befitting finale on Thursday evening with a colourful closing ceremony at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City.
Hosts Edo state emerged as the overall winners of the competition with a total of 52 gold, 34 silver and 25 bronze medals.
