Sports

Sports Minister wants States to Tap Into Sports Industry Policy

Published

5 years ago

July 11, 2021

Joel Ajayi

The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr. Sunday Dare has called on state governments to identify specialized areas they can key into in the Sports Industry Policy which will soon be ready.

The Minister made this assertion during a courtesy visit to the Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri after watching Team Nigeria wrestling final preparations for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Mr. Dare commended Bayelsa state giant strides in establishing itself as the Wrestling capital of Nigeria.

“When I visited the new gym being constructed, I took time to look at the plans and was excited that it met international standards. It shows a government with foresight and committed to sports development.

“In the last 20 months we have devoted our time largely into turning sports into an industry. Sports has been mere recreation in our country. when you look at all successful nations that have successful sports development, it is because they run sports as business.

“In another few days, we should be able to deliver for this country its first ever Sports Industry Policy. One of the middle pillars of that policy is infrastructure, the entire policies predicated on three “I”s. The first I is infrastructure. We must have infrastructural rationalization. So when I see a multi-purpose hall being built for wrestling, I see a state dedicated to a particular sport like you see in other developed nations I know Bayelsa is on the right path and will hold it as a model for other states who want to make sports business.

“I talked about three “I”s, the second I is incentive. There can be no sports development without the provision of incentives especially to the athletes but also to the organised private sector. The third I is investment.

“Both government and the private sector must invest collectively in building sports. We hope that when that is delivered, we would have built in components for the federal government, state governments and the local governments. But I think the most important leg that we have is the assembly of commissioners of youth and sports development who will work with us at the Federal level to agree on a blueprint that can be cascaded down to the states so that we are singing from the same hymn book.

“We hope at that point each state will look at the best sports in which it is heavily talented. That’s the kind of sports development we want to berth and once we deliver that blueprint, we believe that successive administrations and Ministers of sports will work with it and will run with it this time,” the Minister assured.

Bayelsa state governor represented by the Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo disclosed that the state had identified its sporting potential and is focused on combat sports and swimming.

He disclosed that the state was enlightening athletes to compete clean by abstaining from banned substances

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Sports

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

Published

8 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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