Cross River State Governor Bassey Otu has pledged financial and logistical support for Nigeria’s Kabaddi team ahead of the 2026 Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship, including assistance with travel arrangements to Lagos.
Otu gave the assurance while receiving a delegation of the team in Calabar, saying his administration would continue to promote sports as a means of empowering young people, creating professional opportunities and stimulating economic growth.
The governor directed officials to facilitate flight tickets and other travel arrangements for the athletes ahead of the competition.
He said sports development remained a policy priority of his administration, noting that athletes could build careers and earn a living through sporting activities.
“It has actually been a policy to encourage sports in all ramifications of it,” Otu said.
He, however, stressed the need for private sector participation, arguing that governments could not independently provide the funding and modern facilities required to develop sports to international standards.
“The world over, it has become clear that government alone cannot sponsor sports. Private entities have to come into it to be able to provide the modern facilities that are required,” he said.
Otu commended the athletes for their dedication and promised that his government would assess appropriate support for their participation in the championship.
He urged the team to return with medals that would inspire young people in Cross River State and encourage greater interest in the sport.
Earlier, the delegation leader, Daniel Damola, commended Otu for becoming, according to him, the first Nigerian governor to endorse Kabaddi, a contact sport popular in Asia that is gradually gaining ground in Africa.
Damola said the governor’s support was presented at a delegates’ meeting in Ahmedabad, India, where international representatives voted to recognise his contribution on October 29, 2026.
The technical head of the team, Collins Eko, also praised the governor’s interest in sports and expressed confidence that the athletes would represent Cross River and Nigeria creditably at the championship.
He said the team hoped to raise the profile of Kabaddi in Nigeria through its performance at the competition.
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