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Rivers State Fast Becoming Nigeria’s Sports Hub — Commissioner Chris Green Declares

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14 hours ago

9:55 pm

Rivers State Fast Becoming Nigeria’s Sports Hub — Commissioner Chris Green Declares

Rivers State Commissioner for Sports, Barrister Chris Green, has declared that Rivers State is rapidly establishing itself as the hub of sports development in Nigeria, pledging continued hosting of major national and continental events and stronger support for women’s football.

Speaking while welcoming delegates to the 2025 Annual General Meeting of the Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, Green said Rivers State is proud to host the landmark event for the first time, promising that the state would continue to stage more national tournaments and championships.

“On behalf of His Excellency, the Governor of Rivers State welcome all of you to Port Harcourt, Rivers State. We are happy to have you here,” he said.

“This is the first time that Rivers State is hosting this kind of event. I want to assure you that we are going to host more of this. Madam Dupe Shabi. Madam Aisha, we will do your Super Six.”

The commissioner noted that Rivers State’s active sporting calendar was no coincidence but a result of deliberate investment in sports infrastructure and planning.

“It’s no coincidence that Rivers State is fast becoming the hub of sports in Nigeria. It’s unprecedented. Rivers State is hosting the final Playoff of NBBF basketball league,” he continued.

“This is the third time we are hosting back to back to back. To put icing on the cake, we also going to host the final four of the NBBF basketball league,” he added.

Green emphasized that the spirit of sports transcends competition, pointing out that Rivers State values the camaraderie and unity it brings.

“It gives us great pleasure to have you here because football is all about charity and friendship.”

The Commissioner reaffirmed that the state government, under Governor Siminalayi Fubara, is determined to make Port Harcourt a regular host of key sporting events while building an enabling environment for athletes to excel nationally and internationally.

Samuel Ahmadu

Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey 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.

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Nigeria Football

Rivers State Fast Becoming Nigeria’s Sports Hub — Commissioner Chris Green Declares

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