By Dayo Awoniyi
The Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, has reaffirmed his administration’s unwavering support for Rivers Angels Football Club.
On Thursday, Ibas, represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Sports, Sir Emma Ndah JP, paid a hospital visit to Rivers Angels players Peace Effiong and Blessing Ifitezu, who recently underwent surgery at a private facility in Port Harcourt.
The team’s management warmly welcomed the visit, which lauded Vice Admiral Ibas’ gesture to demonstrate genuine care and commitment to women’s football development in the state.
During the visit, Ibas pledged that the state government will continue to stand by the team. He further revealed that all medical bills had been fully covered, wishing the players a speedy recovery.
“The Rivers State government remains committed to the success of Rivers Angels. We want to see the team continue to bring pride and victories to the state,” Ndah stated on behalf of the Sole Administrator.
Both Effiong and Ifitezu expressed deep gratitude for the support, promising to return to action stronger than before.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
