Tonye Orabere, PH Bureau Chief
The vice chancellor of Rivers State University, Prof. Isaac Zeb Obipi, has said that football is a catalyst to foster relationships, comradeship, and networking.
He stated that he started identifying with Arsenal Football Club in North London in the days of Thierry Henry and Kanu Nwankwo. In spite of the fact that Arsenal players play good and entertaining football, they are determined.
Prof. Obipi said these when the Arsenal Nigeria Fans Club, including PH Arsenal Community, paid him a courtesy visit in his office recently in Port Harcourt.
The VC expressed excitement that the Arsenal Nigeria Fans Club has chosen the RSU as its venue under his watch to host the “Arsenal Converge” activities from August 24th through 26th, 2026.
“I am a core Arsenal fan; even though we are losing, I don’t mind. It is a thing of joy to visit and choose the university as your venue to host the activities of Arsenal Converge.
“Football brings networking; it creates relationships, comradeship, and happiness,” Prof. Zeb Obipi said.
According to him, people hate Arsenal because they displayed maturity, resilience, courage, determination, and carriage, adding that their style of playing football is admirable.
“People hate Arsenal because of those qualities I have mentioned earlier. “I am telling you that no other club has the true spirit of sportsmanship,” he stated.
Earlier, the leader of the visit, the chairman of the national working committee and South-South coordinator, Arsenal Nigeria, Obong Nsikak Ntia, thanked the VC for accepting to release the facilities for the Arsenal community to host the convergence.
Ntia said that the purpose of the visit is to formally fraternize with him as a committed Arsenal fan and intimate the program of activities of the forthcoming Arsenal Converge scheduled to be held in Port Harcourt.
Arsenal Converge is a sporting, interactive, and friendship program designed for all Arsenal fans in Nigeria to come together.
He further used the forum to commend Prof. Obipi for keeping faith in Arsenal, saying that Arsenal fans are mostly responsible, reasonable, peace-loving people.
