Sports

African children talent Discovery Foundation adopts two Athletes

Published

5 years ago

June 12, 2021

The Adopt and an Athlete Initiative of the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development under the administration of Mr. Sunday Dare has been given a big boost by the African Children Talent Discovery Foundation which adopted two Olympics- bound athletes.

The athletes include, Patience and Elizabeth Ahanacho were both adopted by the Foundation on Friday during an impressive ceremony at the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development in Abuja.

According to the Minister, Mr. Sunday Dare the Adopt an Athletes initiative came to be 18 months ago after some research on what the major challenges of Nigerian Athletes have been over the years; lack of welfare and lack of support. Since the Government cannot provide all the resources, there is need for a template that will bring about the collaboration between the private sector and the government by creating a pathway for direct funding for Nigerian Athletes.

The African Children Talent Discovery Foundation led by Engineer Noah Dallaji decided to adopt Patience George in Athletics and Elizabeth Anyanacho In Taekwondo to the tune of $10,000 each to boost their Olympics preparations.

The Minister, while commending the African Children Talent Discovery Foundation said “The Ministry is going to use the Chairman of the Foundation Engineer Noah Dallaji as a sign post for several other Nigerians who have the capacity and resources to lift a hand in support of Nigerian Athletes not just as we go to the Olympics, but more importantly because it is the way forward for sports development.

Despite the COVID-19 outbreak that slowed down the world as well as the rhythm with which the Adopt An Athlete Initiative kick started, I am glad that it has picked up again and as speak today we had about 14 athletes adopted and with another 2 today making 16 in a timely fashion is a big boost not just to our Athletes but to Nigerian sports development and the entirety of the sports community. For the first time we are having Nigerians step forward to invest in our talents and support them to attain podium performances. Therefore, I thank the African Children Talent Discovery Foundation (ACTDF) for this vision, for me it is brilliant and we hope to have a long lasting relationship with the Foundation. Sports Development is not episodal but it entails finding the talents, nurturing them and making them world beaters”

In his response, the Chairman of the African Children Talent Discovery Foundation, Engineer Noah Dallaji said “I am just meeting Patience Okon-George for the first time and that’s one of our policies, we adopt based on merit, this is the way to incorporate the young people in every country which makes them channel their energies into positive things which in turn makes the nation at large proud”

This foundation also has Nigerian sports legends such as Daniel Amokachi, Emmanuel Babayaro, Tijani Babangida amongst others.

Patience Okon-George expressed appreciation to the Minister and the Foundation for birthing the initiative, while making a commitment to keep the Nation’s flag flying for podium performances: “I am very excited because this is what I have been longing for and I promise to make this Foundation and our great country Nigeria proud and I will do my best to get to that podium”

The money has been paid directly into the account of the athletes.

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Sports

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

Published

11 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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