Sports

Our Focus Now Is Building ‘Team Nigeria’ – Sports Minister

Published

5 years ago

May 3, 2021

…As Nigeria Athletes Depart US Thursday

Joel Ajayi

Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Chief Sunday Dare, has revealed that the Ministry is now focusing more on building a formidable Team Nigeria that would make the country proud in the forthcoming 2020 Olympic in Japan, than listening to the noise of the market.

The Minister made this known on Monday when he visited the athletes Moshood National Stadium Abuja preparing to travel on Thursday to Texas, United States of America to participate in relay qualifiers event in USA.

He expressed that, though Nigeria athletes missed the World Relay in Poland due to visa issue but the Ministry has put that behind and moved on to ensure Nigeria still qualifies for the world fiesta event.

It was gathered that, about 20 athletes are leaving Nigeria on Thursday while the second batch of athletes will also join them later for the event.

The Minister assured that, what Nigeria missed in Poland will be gained in US.

According to him, I am just here to support you, and to encourage you, and inform you that you are the team Nigeria.

“We have about 87 days to the Olympic proper, we are ready to have you, go out there in US. Our team over there will also join you to create a blend, those that will compete with you are like you, the track is not different, I am made bold to say here that, the entire Nigerians are behind you.

“I want to urge the athletes not to be distracted with administrative noises, your duty is to run and give Nigeria the best , leave administration and all the noise behind , don’t listen to the noise in the market if not, you will not buy anything, so be focus on the goal ahead of you.

“ We are going to the US because we have other means that will place us on the part of qualification, if you follow the outcome of what happened in Poland; for some of the relays, we have 4, 5, some two slots left, so the chances are blighting.

“Nigeria will be at the Olympic God’s wiling, we have put everything in place to ensure athletes are comfortable, they have been in camps for past two weeks with their coaches, I have no doubt Nigeria will be at the Olympic.” He Assured.

Speaking on the sideline of World Relay in Poland, Minister said, the Ministry spared no effort to get it but issue of visa scuttled it.

“We did everything possible to get to Poland but their government said Nigeria need two full weeks to process visa, then there was nothing we could do but we got America visa within 3-4 days.

“About three or four countries even withdrew from the Poland event, they were waiting for Nigeria. There are chances and we are going to fight for every available slot to be in Japan.”

Talking about athletes’ welfare, Minister said the Ministry had put in place a detailed program for the Athletes where every trips, meets, Timing, accommodation is being monitored.

Chief Dare therefore, urged them to strictly adhere to all protocols of Covid-19.

Minister showered encomium on some athletes, saying the future is bright for Nigeria to have podium performances at the Olympics. He commended the performance of Tobi Amusan who got adopted few weeks ago and who now has the second World best time, Grace Nwokocha and Adegoke Enoch who got adopted by the Minister under the Adopt an Athlete Initiative.

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Sports

Plateau Vipers, Benue Queens Crowned Champions at HFN North Central Division One Tourney

Published

9 hours ago

October 3, 2026

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The President of the Handball Federation of Nigeria (HFN), Jibril Seidu, has said the federation will continue to intensify its grassroots talent development drive through zonal competitions across the country.

Seidu stated this on Saturday in Abuja at the finals of the 2026 North Central Division One Handball Championship, where Plateau Vipers defeated Suleja Shooters 29-24 to emerge champions in the men’s category.

In the women’s final, Benue Queens of Makurdi defeated City Queens of Suleja to claim the title.

The eight-day tournament featured teams from across the North Central Zone, with Plateau Vipers of Jos, Confluence Stars of Lokoja, Unity Boys of Abuja, Suleja Shooters and Nasarawa Ambassadors of Lafia competing in the men’s category.

In the women’s category, Nuela Handball Academy of Ilorin, Inikpi Babes of Idah, Benue Queens of Makurdi and City Queens of Suleja competed for honours.

At the end of the competition, four teams — two male and two female — emerged as the North Central Zone’s representatives for the national Division One league.

According to Seidu, the tournament was organised as part of the federation’s deliberate strategy to take handball development back to the regions and discover talents that might otherwise remain unnoticed.

He said the HFN board, inaugurated on October 25, 2025, resolved that grassroots development was essential to creating a sustainable pipeline of players for national and international competitions.

“All the teams you have seen here are from the North Central Zone of the country, and every state is represented with an academy or state team,” he said.

Seidu explained that the new approach marked a departure from the previous system, where talent identification was largely centred on the federation’s major league competitions.

He said taking competitions to the regions would provide young players with greater opportunities to showcase their abilities while strengthening the foundation of handball across the country.

The HFN president also linked the grassroots initiative to Nigeria’s recent achievements in international handball, stressing the need to develop younger players who can eventually replace members of the current national teams.

He noted that Nigeria had qualified for the 2027 Men’s Junior Handball World Championship in North Macedonia, describing the achievement as evidence of the potential within the country’s handball system.

“How do we replace these players with upcoming players? This is the avenue for us to get players,” he said.

Seidu added that the federation was determined to make handball more visible and accessible, describing it as one of Nigeria’s major sporting disciplines with significant potential for growth.

The North Central tournament is part of a wider zonal programme designed to decentralise handball development across Nigeria.

According to the federation, similar competitions are being organised across other zones, including the South East, North East, North West and South South, with qualifiers from each zone expected to converge at a designated venue for the next stage of the competition.

The federation also appealed for greater support from sponsors, stakeholders and state associations to sustain its grassroots development programme.

It expressed appreciation to the participating states, academies, team sponsors and other stakeholders for their support and commitment to the growth of handball in Nigeria.

The federation said the initiative would provide a platform for discovering the next generation of Nigerian handball stars while expanding the sport’s reach beyond its traditional centres.
While Speaking the elated coach of Benue Queen Godwin Tondo has promised a stronger and more tactical performance after guiding the team to victory at the 2026 North Central Division One Handball Championship in Abuja.
He attributed the success to the team’s long-term youth development programme, noting that the squad was built through a deliberate process of identifying and nurturing young talents.
According to him, the programme began with the selection of 92 girls from secondary schools, who were subsequently trained and developed over a four-year period.

He said the team’s success was a product of sustained hard work and commitment despite the challenges encountered during preparations for the tournament.

“I feel very pleased being a champion today. The road to this stage was very, very hard, but I am very happy that we have got the result from all the toughness of the game,” he said.

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