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The director general of Nigeria’s biggest football competition, ‘The Bayelsa Governor’s Cup (or Prosperity Cup),’ Ono Akpe, says his passion to support youths made him key into sports development.
Ono Akpe, who was speaking after receiving an award, at the End of Year Dinner and Awards, organised by Rhythm FM Sports Crew, in Yenagoa on Friday, urged private individuals and corporations, to join government to grow sports so that more youths can find alternative employment and build careers.
He announced his readiness to continue to contribute his quota towards development of the sub-sector in Bayelsa State and beyond.
He thanked former governor Seriake Dickson for endorsing the Governor’s Cup and his support of sports generally, and his successor, the incumbent governor, Senator Douye Diri, (a one-time commissioner of Sports) for his commitment to sports development even as a member of the National Assembly.
“Every time we approached Governor Douye, then in the House of Representatives and later Senate, he has always given us both financial and moral support and for this we remain grateful. Today we are excited that already youth and sports development is a cardinal point of his administration and we promise to work hand in hand with the ‘Prosperity Government’ of Governor Douye Diri to achieve these goals,” he added.
He thanked the organisers of the award for recognizing his humble contributions to sports in the state.
It will be recalled that in 2012, Akpe was appointed special adviser on Electronic Media to then Governor Seriake Dickson, and was later made head of Media and Events, Abuja.
He initiated and propelled the Governor’s Cup which the minister of Sports, Hon. Sunday Dare, at the 2019/20 finals celebrated as the biggest grassroots football competition in the country. The Governor’s Cup which featured over 160 community based teams, commenced in 2015.
Also honoured for their individual roles in sports development were the chief press secretary to the governor, Mr Daniel Alabrah, who was the head of Media of the Restoration Cup, and later director of Tournament; Olympic Wrestling Gold medalist and present commissioner of Sports, Hon Daniel Igali; a member of the House of Assembly, Hon. Wisdom Fafi; TUC chairman and former board member of Bayelsa United, Comrade Laye Juluis; Nigeria’s youngest National Chess gold medalist 8 year old Deborah Quickpen, among others.
It would be recalled that select young players from the 2019 edition of Governors Cup, Restoration Starlets, participated in the African Youth Cup in Cape Verde where they emerged the third best team out of the participating teams, which included teams from Cote de’ Voire, Cape Verde and Portugal. The team returned home to win the Bayelsa League Cup later that year.