Sports

NCF President Uyi Pays Working Visit To Abuja Office

Published

5 years ago

December 3, 2021

Joel Ajayi

As the year 2021 gradually comes to an end, the Federation is taking stock of activities conducted and also preparing for the 2022 Cricket calendar.

Exciting times ahead suggest that early preparations will be the catalyst to drive the success plans especially when the Board convenes in late December to have her first strategic session and Annual General Meeting, AGM, in Abuja.

During the week President of the Federation Mr. Uyi Akpata visited the Nigeria Cricket Federation head office in Abuja on a day working visit.

His first stop was at the Secretariat where he met with staff and also inspected the office environment. The next stop was a visit to some members of the national team undergoing treatment at the National Institute of Sports ,NIS, clinic in Abuja. Meeting with the President, the players expressed their gratitude for the timely intervention by the Federation intending to meet their medical needs, citing that treatment was going on according to plans.

The President’s final stop was the Cricket Oval where he conducted routine inspections of the two turf pitches under construction and the level of readiness. After a tour around both facilities and interaction with the ground staff, Mr. Uyi Akpata expressed satisfaction at the job done thus far and the condition of the pitches, especially the playing surface and the outfield. ‘’ I am very pleased with the conditions of the pitches here in Abuja, a lot of work has gone into this in the last two years and some work still needs to be done especially with the sitting areas and pavilion but overall, we are almost ready and plans are in place to make this a complete functional facility ahead of activities in 2022”, he said.

Changes in structures and approach to the new outlook on the workforce of the Federation continues as the President is looking to prime everyone ahead of what can be described as a very exciting and events-packed 2020 cricket season in Nigeria.

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Sports

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

Published

10 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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