Sports
Age Grade Team will Bounce Back To Glory, Mouktar Vows
FCT Football Association Chairman, Adam Mouktar Mohammed, has promised that the country’s various age-grade teams will soon bounce back to top reckoning.
Mouktar Mohammed is a member of the three-man panel appointed by the NFF to oversee the preparations of Nigeria’s age-grade teams – Under-17, Under-20 and Under-23 – for crucial international tournaments.
Nigeria made history when they became the first African nation to win Football Gold at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, while the country is the most successful team at U17 level after the Golden Eaglets scooped five World Cups – 1985, 1993, 2007, 2013 and 2015.
He said the panel is fully committed to the responsibility handed it and the result will be that these teams will soon be flying the Nigerian flag higher again in international competitions.
“I wish to personally commend the NFF President Ibrahim Gusau for this initiative to re-energise the age-grade team through the task force,” Mouktar Mohammed said.
“Nigeria Football must again lay special emphasis on development as well as international exposure through these teams.
“And as a panel, we are ready to lead this revival to international glory for our youth teams.”
Today in India, the Flamingos will hope to make history by reaching the semifinal of the FIFA I17 World Cup at the expense of USA, while tomorrow the country’s U23 men’s team will do battle in Tanzania in an U23 AFCON qualifier.
“We believe the Flamingos can do Nigeria proud in faraway India today by getting to the semifinals of the World Cup,” Mouktar Mohammed said.
“They have the total support of all Nigerians to make history for both themselves and the country.“We are also confident that the U23s will get a result in Tanzania tomorrow so that the return leg match in Ibadan will be a mere formality.”
Sports
NSC DG, Olopade Visits Team Nigeria in Camp Ahead of All-African Senior Badminton Championship
…Says NSC is determined to encourage all Sports Federations
Joel Ajayi
The Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Hon. Bukola Olopade, has revealed that the Commission’s leadership is determined to support and encourage all sports federations to excel.
The 2025 edition of the All-African Senior Badminton Championship is set to take place from February 10th to 16th in Douala, Cameroon. Team Nigeria, consisting of 10 players—5 males and 5 females—will compete in the Men’s Singles, Women’s Singles, Men’s Doubles, Women’s Doubles, and Mixed Doubles categories. The men’s team includes Nigeria’s number one player, Anuoluwapo Opeyori.
Olopade visited the team’s camp in Abuja on Wednesday to encourage them and bid the Nigerian Badminton Team farewell ahead of their participation in the championship. He extended a goodwill message from the NSC Chairman, Mallam Shehu Dikko, assuring the team of the Commission’s support and encouraging them to make the country proud.
He expressed confidence in the team, urging them to perform at their best. “My message was very clear. I conveyed the message from the chairman of the sports commission, Malam Shehu Dikko, and it was a clear one: we are determined to continue supporting all sports,” Olopade said.
“Moreover, when you look at the development and growth of Nigerian badminton, it is our responsibility, as leaders of the sports commission, to ensure that these athletes are encouraged to keep up the good work they have been doing for the country. They are the defending champions, and I’m not just here to encourage them. I have come to show our love, our support, and to ensure they are ready. They are well taken care of, and the confidence for them to excel is there. It’s all up to them to do well.”
In his remarks, the President of the Badminton Federation of Nigeria, Francis Orbi, stated that the Nigerian team is ready for the championships and that all the players understand the importance of the tournament.
“I’m confident that they will perform very well. We have a lot of potential, and the Director General’s visit to encourage the players will further boost their courage and determination. We are grateful for that.”
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s badminton star, Anuoluwapo Opeyori, is aiming for a consecutive title at the 2025 All-African Senior Badminton Championship in Douala, Cameroon. Opeyori won the singles event last year and is now targeting another title in Cameroon.
At the previous edition of the tournament in Cairo, Nigeria won one gold, two silver, and four bronze medals.
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