Sports
NFF Election: Lagos State throws weight behind Akinwunmi Candidature
The State of Excellence, Lagos State has thrown its weight on the Lagos State Football Association Chairman, Seyi Akinwunmi on his ambition to become the next Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President.
This was made known by Commissioner for Information in Lagos State, Gbenga Omotosho, who was one of the dignitaries at the Seyi Akinwunmi declaration for NFF President said the state was proud of his candidature and his vision and mission to lift Nigeria football.
According to him, Lagos State is proud of you and what you stand for. We are convinced that with your zeal, experience and candor, you will take Nigeria football to where it ought to be when you become the President.
“Speaking at the event, the First Vice President of the NFF, Barrister Seyi Akinwunmi on Saturday promised to give his all in an attempt to take football to greater heights in the country.Akinwunmi who was speaking at Bagauda Kaltho Media Centre in Alausa, Lagos, during his declaration for NFF Presidency election stressed that he was well-equipped for the job based on his experience and various positions held in the running of football in the country.
Akinwunmi said: “I have high respect for all others contesting for the same position but no one can boast of the kind of experience I have over the years in the game.
“I am well equipped because from the bottom, I climbed up the ladder with wealth of experiences in various areas of the game. I am ready to bring my all to make the game get better.
”The Lagos Football Association Chairman also added he would use his four cardinal pillar programme to run the game.
“The four pillars are Grassroots Development, Business of football, Infrastructure and Technology. I will now use these to actualize my 11 strategic actions for the development of the game.
“It is important to think about the schools and the grassroots for us to move forward. We will have National Finals which will see football competitions at the state and zonal levels.
The FAs will be empowered in concrete terms to stage events and create competition among the youth”.
League Reforms, youth development, entrepreneurship, Inclusion, Life after retirement, Girls and Women football, transparency and national team administration are some of the strategic plans of Akinwunmi.
Earlier, President of Nigeria Referees Association, Tade Azeez, noted that Akinwunmi had all it takes to take the game to another level in Nigeria.
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.
-
Featured7 years agoLampard Names New Chelsea Manager
-
Featured6 years agoFG To Extends Lockdown In FCT, Lagos Ogun states For 7days
-
Featured7 years agoChildren Custody: Court Adjourns Mike Ezuruonye, Wife’s Case To April 7
-
Featured7 years agoNYSC Dismisses Report Of DG’s Plan To Islamize Benue Orientation Camp
-
Featured5 years agoTransfer Saga: How Mikel Obi Refused to compensate me After I Linked Him Worth $4m Deal In Kuwait SC – Okafor
-
Featured7 years ago
Board urges FG to establish one-stop rehabilitation centres in 6 geopolitical zones
-
Sports4 years ago
TINUBU LAMBAST DELE MOMODU
-
News2 years agoZulu to Super Eagles B team, President Tinubu is happy with you
