Sports
Dare Confirms Appointment of Three-Time Olympian, Yusuf Alli as Team Nigeria’s Coordinator for Commonwealth Games 2022
Joel Ajayi
As the the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games continues to draw closer, the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Hon. Sunday Dare has officially confirmed three-time Olympian and 1990 Commonwealth Games gold medalist, Yusuf Alli as Coordinator of Team Nigeria for the 2022 Edition of the Commonwealth Games.
Speaking at the ceremonial hand-over of Alli’s official letter, the Minister said Alli’s appointment is on the back of his experience as an athlete and accomplishments as a sports administrator.
The Minister stated thus, “To ensure Team Nigeria’s success at the Games, we are bringing Yusuf Alli to compliment the efforts of the experts in the ministry, so as we all work together to give Nigeria a good showing in Birmingham. When we found out that, Yusuf Alli with his experience will be needed as part of the ingredients for our success we brought him on board.”
Dare added that, “we are determined to tap into the knowledge of our ex sports stars who served this country in the past, having the experience both on and off the field, and that’s why Yusuf Alli is with us. A number of our ex-sports men and women have also been working in the background to help the ministry and Nigeria grow as a sports nation”.
Speaking at the event, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Alhaji Ismaila Abubakar tasked Yusuf Alli to bring his experience to the fore and ensure Team Nigeria’s objectives are achieved at the end of the Games.
“The task is no doubt an herculean one, but when one considers the experience garnered over the years, I’d say that we have a man with the pedigree to discharge the responsibilities expected of him. We expect effective coordination and discipline amongst our contingent to Birmingham”, the Permanent Secretary added.
While thanking the Ministry for the confidence reposed in him, Yusuf Alli stated that himself alongside the team will put in the work required to bring glory to Nigeria at the Commonwealth Games and ensure the contingent are worthy ambassadors of the country at the Games.
He promised to work together with the team’s captain and other members for the good of the country.
Alli represented Nigeria at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, Los Angeles 1984 Olympics and Seoul 1988 Olympic Games. He also won gold in the long jump event in the 1990 Commonwealth Games in New Zealand.
Team Nigeria will be participating at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham between the 28th of July to August 8, 2022.
Sports
Plateau Vipers, Benue Queens Crowned Champions at HFN North Central Division One Tourney
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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