Sports

Kida sues for stronger collaboration amongst basketball stakeholders

Published

5 years ago

January 2, 2022

…….Thanks Nigerians for support

As the global community heralds the dawn of a new year, the most successful president in the history of Nigeria basketball, Engr Ahmadu Musa Kida, has urged all Basketball stakeholders in Nigeria to join hands in building a basketball system that will be self-sufficient and sustaining in the country.

In his New Year message, Kida congratulated Nigerians for being amongst the chosen to witness a brand new year which will usher in positive results for Nigerian basketball.

“I congratulate you all for being amongst the chosen ones to witness a new year. 2021 was tough, especially with the world recovering from Covid-19 and battling with new covid variants that threatened to shut down the world”.

While reminiscing on 2021, Kida said it was a year characterized by needless bickering amongst stakeholders which took shine off a glorious year.

“For us in basketball, Kida said, it was a mixed experience qualifying for the Olympics (men and women teams for the first time in our history), the expectations and the outcome, as well as the Afrobasket championships experience and performance from our girls, winning the trophy for an unprecedented third straight time”.

He specially thanked the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari and the Honorable Minister of Youth and Sports, Chief Sunday Dare for their unwavering support towards the sustained growth and development of basketball and Nigeria’s emergence as a global powerhouse in Basketball.

“In 2021, we were able to, successfully, hold the Divisions One and Two Championships and also officially resume the Men’s Premier League after years of forced hiatus as a result of legal actions instituted by some persons against the federation”.

Entering the New Year, Kida said it is expedient for all stakeholders to adopt a new approach with basketball development at local, state and national level at the core of any political ambition.

“The next 365 days will be key in determining how far the country can go in getting a working system in place, and whether Nigeria can sustain and improve on the magnificent achievements it recorded in the last year, and indeed, last four years”.

“In the past, we have depended on just individuals at the zonal and national level to drive the sports forward, but it is time to put a working system in place so that it can be an all-inclusive system that allows all to contribute their quota. This way, anybody can come in and fit into the system very well, Kida continued.

He concluded by pledging his unalloyed commitment to the sustenance and improvement of the astronomical growth and development that basketball has, while encouraging others to never relent in their contributions to the game as stakeholders.

Kida wished every Nigeria a very happy and blessed 2022.

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Sports

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

Published

11 mins 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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