Okoroma United of Okoroma from Nembe Local Council and debutants, Active Ladies of Agudama have emerged as the men’s and women’s champions of the Bayelsa Governor’s Football Tournament, tagged the Prosperity Cup.
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Okoroma United pipped hard-fighting Akinima/Biogbo 1-0 to emerge victorious. Erasmus Noble, in 18 minutes, gave the Nembe side the victory in an encounter decided at the Samson Siasia Stadium, Yenagoa.

‎Active Ladies, in the women’s category, beat defending champions, Afini Ladies of Amarata by a lone goal courtesy of Ughwumioma Charity’s 32nd minute strike to ensure that they went home with the trophy and prize money.
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Champions, Okoroma United received N30 million for their efforts, second-placed Akinima/Biogbo went home with N10 million, Mountain of the Lord Deliverance Ministry (MLDM FC), who finished third, got N5 million, while fourth-placed Krosaders FC smiled home with the sum of N2 million.
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The women’s champions, Active Ladies, were rewarded with the sum of N10 million, second-placed Afini Ladies received N5 million, the third-placed team got N2 million, while N1 million went to the fourth-placed team, along with other consolation prizes.
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Para-Soccer champions, Shadrack Sports Academy got N1.5m, bringing the total prize money to N80 million.
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‎The final also witnessed an historic signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the setting up of the FC Barcelona-affiliated Bayelsa Starlets Academy.
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‎Declaring the tournament closed, an elated Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, said he was pleased with the continuous growth of the tournament, maintaining that his administration has used the Prosperity Cup to empower the youths of the State.
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The governor, who described sports as a global event, remarked that the competition was one of the programmes he inherited from his predecessor and invested hugely in it to empower the youths, pointing out that, beyond politics, football has become a means of livelihood.

He acknowledged that the introduction of the women’s category improved the quality of football in the competition, stressing that the continuous increase in the number of clubs participating in the showpiece reflects the growth of the tournament.
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He noted that he wants to see the government disengaging completely from football and indeed all sports, pointing out that the essence of why only football could thrive in the country was because of the private sector involvement.
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Also speaking at the end of the event, Managing Director/CEO, Premium Trust Bank, Dr Emmanuel Efe Emefienim, represented by the Chief Operating Officer, South South, Dr Aniebet Offiong, said beyond the delivery of premium services to customers, the institution is poised for the development of sports.
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‎Earlier in an address of welcome, a completely fulfilled Director General of the tournament, Ono Akpe, said that this year’s edition was unique as a result of the competition’s international identity, stating that the signing of the MoU reflects the state government’s commitment to bettering the lot of the youths.