Sports

Para soccer : Nigeria have no more challenges with disabilities says Didi

Published

5 years ago

December 2, 2021

The President of Para-Soccer Federation of Nigeria (PFN), Misbahu Didi, on Wednesday in Abuja said Nigeria have no more challenging with the issues of Disabilities after being certified Polio free from by the World governing body.

The president said the purpose of the tournament is to celebrate the day for the disabilities with the rest of the world on Dec. 3.
“The bill has been signed into law now and the commission has been established and the commission headed with person with disability.
” I want to believe we are at the highest and good time in this country now,the sky will not only be our limits.
“We have no limit by the grace oI am using this opportunity to say Mr.president federal republic of Nigeria.,thank you very much,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Para-soccer Federation of Nigeria (PFN) in collaboration with National Commission For Persons with Disability organised the first edition of the Championship.
The championship, is tagged ‘ABUJA 2021’.
The president said due to the love of the sports , the Federation collaborate with the National Commission for Pesons with Disability to organise the maiden edition the championship which started on Tuesday.
He said a today of 10 teams from 10 states are participating in the four days Championship, he added the Federation is expecting more to arrive today.
“We started the competition with two matches on Tuesday., Four matches to be played today and Thursday.
“The semi final matches, third places and final matches will be played to end the championship.
“The competition is peaceful and healthy nobody, the athletes are playing very well and I want to believe it’s going to be a better championship,” he said.
He said the purpose of the tournament is to celebrate the day for the disabilities with the rest of the world on Dec. 3.
“The bill has been signed into law now and the commission has been established and the commission headed with person with disability.
” I want to believe we are at the highest and good time in this country now,the sky will not only be our limits.
“We have no limit by the grace oI am using this opportunity to say Mr.president federal republic of Nigeria.,thank you very much,” he said.
He said the Federation did not organised the 2021 Para-soccer Federation which is annual event due to insufficient funds.
The last day of the competition always falls on the Oct.24 to celebrate Polio day with the rest of the world.
According to him, the Federation did not received any funds from their sponsor Rotary Club International to support the Federation on this year competition.
“We all know that Nigeria have been certified Polio free by the world so there was not funds release to Rotary club , this is the reason why we did not organise the competition this year,” he said.

NAN reports that Dec. 3 is International Day for Persons with Disabilities, the lannual observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons was proclaimed in 1992, by the United Nations General Assembly resolution.

The 10 teams are : Kano, Zamfara and Ajanaku foundation from Lagos, Nasarawa, Plateau, Kebbi and FCT, Katsina, Sokoto and Kwara team.

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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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