Sports

Team Nigeria Kisarazu Camp opens July 23rd

Published

4 years ago

May 13, 2021

JoelAjayi

The Ministry of Youth and Sports Development has unveiled a comprehensive plan for Team Nigeria towards a podium success at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

According to the roadmap, the final stage of local camping will commence from May-15th- July 23rd in Bayelsa, Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt. Track and Field National Olympics Trials takes place June 17- 19th, African Athletics Championship from June 22- 26th, 2021.

The last phase of the camping will be in Kisarazu from July 3- 23rd, while the 1st batch of athletes will enter the Games Village from August 8th.

Nigeria will present about 80 athletes in 10 Sports at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Wrestling, Judo, Taekwondo, Table Tennis, Badminton, Male and Female Basketball are some of the events Nigeria has qualified. Others are Track and Field, Weightlifting and Rowing, Canoeing and Sailing.

Nigeria decided to narrow down her participation to sports where she has competitive advantage in winning medals.

Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr Sunday Dare has repeatedly maintained that Team Nigeria will improve on her performance of the last two Olympics, where she won only two bronze in Football and Track and Field

Share on Facebook

Sports

NLO’s Shola Ogunowo Earns Praise for Driving Grassroots Football and Exemplifying Integrity

Published

2 hours ago

June 7, 2025

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The Nigerian football community has lauded Mr. Shola Ogunowo, Chief Operating Officer of the Nationwide League One (NLO), for his unwavering commitment to integrity and the development of grassroots football, earning him widespread respect and admiration across the sporting landscape.

In a statement released in Abuja and signed by Okechukwu Okebugwu, Mr. Ogunowo was praised as a transformative leader who has redefined the ethics and standards of football administration at the grassroots level. According to the release, Ogunowo has emerged as a “leading figure in the fight against match-fixing, bribery, and all forms of corruption” that have plagued the lower tiers of Nigerian football for decades.

Through consistent enforcement of transparency, fairness, and accountability, Mr. Ogunowo is steering the NLO toward becoming a credible platform where talent can be discovered and nurtured based on merit, rather than manipulation or favoritism.

“In an environment where shortcuts and compromises are all too common, Shola Ogunowo has remained a pillar of integrity,” Okebugwu stated. “He is restoring credibility to grassroots football by ensuring that fair play, discipline, and professionalism are non-negotiable.”

Since taking over as COO, Ogunowo has spearheaded a number of structural reforms aimed at instilling discipline and operational excellence among participating clubs. These include stricter licensing requirements, performance audits, and compliance monitoring to ensure clubs uphold the league’s code of conduct. His administration has also emphasized youth development, with a renewed focus on coaching education and player welfare.

The result is a reinvigorated Nationwide League One that is beginning to attract renewed attention from fans, corporate sponsors, and local communities. Observers say Ogunowo’s leadership is helping reshape perceptions of grassroots football—not just as a stepping stone to the elite leagues, but as a vital foundation for the future of Nigerian football.

“His leadership is not only impacting the pitch—it’s rebuilding trust, creating real value, and setting a good standard for sports administration in Nigeria,” Okebugwu concluded.

As the NLO season progresses, many stakeholders believe that with figures like Shola Ogunowo at the helm, the future of grassroots football in Nigeria is not only secure, but promising.

Share on Facebook