Sports

We Will Not Allow Stadia To Collapse – Dangote

Published

5 years ago

February 3, 2022

The Gleamer

…Visits revamp Moshood Abiola Stadium

… CAF approves stadium for Super Eagles, Black Star play-off

By Joel Ajayi

Africa’s richest Aliko Dangote visited the newly renovated Moshood Abiola Stadium pitch, adopted by group under the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare’s Adopt-a-Pitch initiative and said that he will do everything possible to ensure Nigeria stadia did not suffer collapse

Dangote, whose company, Dangote Industries Group sponsored the rehabilitation of the pitch, expressed satisfaction with the job done, as he was conducted round the pitch with the sprinklers working perfectly, and the two digital score-boards beaming live.

While speaking, Dangote assured more support for sport growth in the country.

According to him, you can be rest assured of our continuous support.

“You can always knock on our doors. We shouldn’t allow our Stadia to collapse. Nigerians have a very strong love for sports, so I think we need to complement Government’s efforts to ensure that everything works”, he assured

In his remark the elated Minister of Sport Sunday Dare expressed appreciation to Dangote for accepting to adopt the Moshood Abiola Stadium, stating that he was the first to embrace the Ministry’s Adopt-a-Pitch initiative.

“I want to thank you for investing in the development of our Sports and the fruit of that partnership has blossomed into what we see here today. I would like to inform you that we have just received CAF certification of this Stadium for international matches, which means that the World Cup qualifiers will be played here. This wouldn’t have been possible without your support”.

The refurbished Moshood Abiola Stadium is complete with nursery beds, two digital scoreboards, 24 Sprinklers and two-year maintenance, as part of the contract sponsored by Dangote Industries under the Adopt-a-Pitch Public Private Partnership initiative of the Ministry. Daura Stadium Katsina has also been completed, while National Stadium Lagos amongst others have been adopted, and are at different stages of completion.

Meanwhile, the Confederation of Africa Football ,CAF, has finally approved Abuja’s Moshood Abiola National stadium for the return leg World Cup qualifier play-off between Super Eagles and Black Stars of Ghana.

Special Assistant to the Minister of Youth and Sports development minister Toyin Ibitoye revealed this to newsmen yesterday in Abuja.

Ibitoye also said both Super Falcons Africa Women Cup of Nations qualifier and Falconets World Cup qualifier would be played on the same pitch which was recently renovated under the Public-Private Partnership initiative.

Share on Facebook

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.

Share on Facebook