By David Owei,Bayelsa
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‎On Friday May 8, the grand finale of the Prosperity Cup, Nigeria’s biggest grassroots football tournament will be rounded off at the Samson Siasia Stadium in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State, capital.
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‎Excitement is building across Bayelsa as the Prosperity Cup, Nigeria’s most celebrated grassroots football tournament, inches close to its grand finale. On Friday, May 8, 2026, the Samson Siasia Stadium in Yenagoa will host the climax of a competition that has become a beacon of youth engagement, talent discovery, and community pride.
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‎Since its inception in 2015, the tournament grew from 110 participating teams to a record-breaking 231 teams in 2025, attracting scouts from Europe, Africa, and Australia.
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‎Over the years, it has produced stars now playing in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) and abroad, including Benjamin Precious, who dazzled at the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations before signing for German Bundesliga side, TSG Hoffenheim.
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‎The 2026 edition carries added significance: it coincides with the 30th anniversary of Bayelsa State and the sixth anniversary of Governor Douye Diri’s Prosperity Administration. Champions in the male category will walk away with the sum of ₦30 million, while female winners will earn ₦10 million.
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‎Beyond the competition, this year’s finale will welcome officials from FC Barcelona, who are expected to organize a scouting programme as wells as discuss plans for a world-class football academy in Bayelsa. The partnership promises to deepen grassroots development, train coaches, and create pathways for young talents to shine on the global stage.
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‎As the countdown to the grand finale begins, anticipation is high. For Bayelsa, the Prosperity Cup is more than just football—it is a movement of hope, unity, and opportunity.

By George Mgbeleke

Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has stated that the new residential accommodation being built by the state government for Commissioners and Special Advisers will be completed and ready for use by November 2026.
The governor who disclosed this during an inspection of the project on Thursday, stated that his administration embarked on the construction of a centralised residential quarters for senior officials to eliminate the heavy financial burden rented accommodation has placed on the state government.
He said that besides eliminating the burden of exorbitant rent, the new quarters will help the state government to save cost on security as it will provide adequate arrangement for the security of these high calibre of personnel at one location.
“It looks so embarrassing that the government will be spending a lot of money renting places for these senior officials.
“So we decided to embark on this project, believing that when this project is completed, and accommodation provided for our very productive officers, efficiency will be an issue of top priority.
“When they are all living together, I think it makes it easy for us to have just one unit of security and this multiple arrangement of carrying police here and there will also stop,” he said.
The project, which is being handled by Shaanxi Construction Engineering Nigeria Limited, consists of 25 units of six-bedroom flats. It is located within the Rainbow Housing Estate along the Trans-Amadi Industrial Layout in Port Harcourt.
Governor Fubara who defied the rain and muddy terrain to inspect the project, was conducted round the construction site by the Commissioner for Special Projects, Hon. Tonye Belgam and officials of the construction company.
The governor commended the efforts of the contractors and their commitment towards meeting the timeline of November 2026.

By David Owei,Bayelsa

Further to the United States Coast Guard (USCG) delegation’s port facility inspection visit to Nigeria, the Provisionary Committee of the proposed Nigerian Coast Guard (PC-NCG), has acknowledged the team’s honest and constructive assessment. The PC-NCG views the outcome as validation of ongoing reforms and a foundation for technical cooperation ahead of the Coast Guard Bill’s passage.

A statement issued by the Director of Communications & Public Affairs, Dr. Piriye Kiyaramo in Abuja on Monday, quoted the Chief Executive and Accounting Officer of PC-NCG, Captain Noah Ichaba, as describing the outcome of the visit as a positive step toward deepening bilateral maritime security cooperation between Nigeria and the United States Coast Guard.

“PC-NCG counts the remark made by NIMASA BOSS that much work still need to be done regarding ports safety and security and that all identified gaps would be addressed to ensure that Nigeria meets global best practices as an honest statement made by the delegation and their host.

Accordingly, PC-NCG sincerely enjoins relevant authorities and concerned individuals to accept that the era of whitewashing the surface and diluting the functions and substantial responsibilities of the proposed Nigerian Coast Guard is over. As such, it should be that a Coast Guard of another country visiting Nigeria is expected to meet with the Coast Guard of Nigeria.

“The absence of the prestigious reputation and presence of the Coast Guard Agency from the Nigerian Maritime Space had created such identified gaps and non conformity to acceptable international standards. It is time to close all existing vacuum by doing the needful of having to establish the Nigerian Coast Guard so as to place Nigeria at per with other maritime nations.

“Talking without fitting action avails nothing order than self humiliation. Be it measurable process as indicated or not, if the nation should objectively track losses that she has been suffering all these years due to the absence of Coast Guard, it would be concluded that far more greater would have been achieved with Coast Guard within the same period.

“The facts and factors are not far fetched because port safety and security is not the only duty that Coast Guard would be performing, given the fact that securing ships and crews are a fraction of its core mandate.

“So the measurable process in that regard was only an ad valorem quantification because it did not align fully with international maritime standards which Nigeria as a maritime nation needs to align with, to upgrade her maritime security framework and advance the country’s competitiveness in global shipping and port operations as well as keep fate with global best practices.

“Whatever the current arrangement and milestone achievement, the truth steers Nigeria in the face, and that is, without Coast Guard as the true steward in the maritime safety and security operations, to provide the much needed stewardship, operation and nurturing of the marine environment and resources; as a reliable guardian of the nation’s maritime commercial businesses, to foster realistic economic growth, safety and security, all efforts would still remain inappropriate activities,” Captain Ichaba maintained.