Sports

NFF Inaugurates 3-Man Task Force For Age-Grade National Teams

Published

4 years ago

October 20, 2022

By Joel Ajayi

In its effort to ensure Nigeria’s age grade national team which includes, U23, U20 and U17 excel ahead of different international competitions, the Nigeria Football Federation NFF inaugurated the three-man task force whose primary duty is to advise the federation on the successful preparations of three national teams.

The inauguration became necessary as the U23 Men’s national team will on this weekend trade tackles with their Tanzania counterparts in the 2023 CAF African Nations Cup (AFCON) qualifier as other 2 National teams also have crucial engagements.

Speaking during the inauguration on Thursday at NFF head office in Abuja, the President of the federation, Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau outlined the responsibility for the task force, he urged them to discharge their duty to bring the desired changes in the national teams.

According to him, the task force included Aminu Balele Kurfi, Chairman of FCT Football Association, Abba Mouktar Mohammed and Sports Marketing guru, Hon. Bukola Olopade.

While outlined the responsibility for the task force, NFF boss said, the task force will advise NFF Board on the way we are going to have proper preparation for the teams as well as to seek the public and private sector to ensure we give maximum support to these teams for them to succeed in their different engagements.

“They are to advise the NFF board on the way forward on preparation as well as the main tournament for these three of age grade national teams which is U23, for qualifiers to the all Africa games and Olympic for them to qualify and their participation.

“Our under 17 have already qualified for the nations cup and world cup, while qualifying games are coming up for the U20 team.”

He said that Balele will be the Chairman while Bukola Olopade becomes the Vice-Chairman and Mouktar Mohammed, Member of the task force.

In his remark, the Chairman of the Task Force, Aminu Kurfi Balele assured Nigerians that the task force will do its best.

He admitted that the task ahead is enormous but believed that it is achievable with support from Nigerians, especially the media to execute the task successfully.

“The assignment given to us is huge. To prepare the national teams for successful tournaments is not an easy task, we will do everything in making sure that all the teams do well.”

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Sports

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

Published

12 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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