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2020 NSF Zonal Qualifier: FCT, Kogi 5 Others Sets To Rumble In Ilorin

Published

5 years ago

January 16, 2020

Joel Ajayi

The stage is now set for the seven North Central states in the North central Geo- political of Nigeria as hostilities for the qualification tickets of the forthcoming National Sports Festival in Edo state will begins on Monday 20th January.

FCT who are defending champions in Football, Basketball and beach volleyball in the last National Sports Festival in Abuja will compete in four team sports which includes; football, basketball, beach volleyball, and handball.

Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday evening, the Director, FCT Sports Department, Chief Mrs. Dilichukwu Onyendinma said all hands are on deck to make sure that FCT pick all the qualification tickets in the four games they are participating in in Ilorin.

“All the athletes that will compete for FCT in all the games in which we are participating have been in an open camp since last year. We are confident that we will pick the qualification tickets in all the four games because we registered in the games where we have advantage over others.” She told BSN Sports

The zonal elimination competition which will hold in Ilorin, Kwara state involves seven states from the North Central. The states includes; Plateau, Nasarawa, Kwara, FCT, Niger, Kogi and Benue.

The seven states will compete for the tickets in eight team sports; rugby, cricket, beach volleyball, football, basketball, handball, volleyball and hockey.

All the eight games involve men and women teams.

Dilichukwu expresses confident in the team and explains why they are participating in just four team sports in Ilorin.

“We are defending champions in these sports, we won gold in the beach volleyball, football and basketball, we didn’t win the handball gold because of the controversy that surrounded the game in the last sports festival in Abuja. With this statistics, there is no doubt that our athletes are up good enough to make the FCT residents proud in Ilorin.” She concluded

FCT finished 7th on the final table of the 2018 National Sports Festival held in Abuja with 21 gold, 9 silver and 24 bronze.

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NSF: Oparaoji, Ekpeyong, Quadri Gear Up for Tough Quarterfinal Clashes in Abeokuta

Published

2 weeks ago

May 23, 2025

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The tennis courts at the ongoing National Sports Festival in Abeokuta are buzzing with intensity as the competition hits the quarterfinal stage in both the men’s and women’s singles events, following a gripping round of 16.

Men’s Singles Quarterfinals:

Abubakar Yusuf of FCT will square off against Rivers State’s Abua Canice. Yusuf booked his spot with a 4-0, 4-2 win over Ehigiamusoe Endurance of Edo, while Canice cruised past Azi David 4-1, 4-0.

Bayelsa’s Uche Oparaoji faces Adeleye Daniel of Ekiti in a clash of skill and strategy. Oparaoji outclassed Urenyang Nuhu of Taraba 4-1, 4-2, just as Adeleye powered past Kaduna’s Ibrahim Sulaiman with the same scoreline.

In one of the most anticipated ties, Danjuma Lucky (FCT) will lock horns with Bayelsa’s top seed David Ekpeyong. Danjuma came through a thrilling contest against Ekiti’s Abamu Matthew, rallying to win 1-4, 4-2, 10-5, while Ekpeyong dominated Taraba’s Rubi Toba 4-0, 4-2.

Home favourite Christopher Bulus of Ogun will battle Edo’s Michael Chima for a semifinal ticket. Bulus swept past Rivers’ Timibra Godsgift 4-1, 4-0, while Chima triumphed over Delta’s Iloputa Ikechukwu in a straight-set win.

Women’s Singles Quarterfinals:

Delta’s Barakat Quadri, fresh off a 4-1, 4-0 win over Rebecca Ekpeyong of Bayelsa, will face rising star Emmanuel Bright of the IJA (Invited Junior Athletes), who overcame Rivers’ Maxwell Timipre 4-2, 5-3.

Edo’s Omotayo Blessing will battle Akwa Ibom’s Udoffa Mary in what promises to be a fiery encounter. Omotayo brushed aside Ekiti’s Adeusi Jesutoyosi 4-0, 4-1, while Udoffa outplayed Moses Favour of Kaduna 5-3, 4-0.

Elsewhere, Ogunjobi Success of Ekiti will test her mettle against Aina Goodnews of IJA, and Akwa Ibom’s Etoro Bassey faces Ogun’s Yakubu Ohunene in a South-South vs South-West showdown.

With the quarterfinals locked in, tennis fans are in for a thrilling ride as the battle for medals intensifies under the Abeokuta sun.

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