Sports

NOC Congress 2022…..We Stand by Gumel!

Published

4 years ago

December 14, 2022

…By Concerned Stakeholders.

Come Thursday 15th December, 2022, the healthy and fast-growing future of the Olympic movement in Nigeria shall be further secured, sustained and fortified as we gather to re-elect Engr Habu Ahmed Gumel as president of the Nigeria Olympic Committee, NOC at the congress in Jalingo, the Taraba state capital.

Our collective resolve to re-elect Engr Gumel is anchored on the basis and principles of hardwork, dedication, devotion, focus, transparency and unassuming penchant for carrying everyone along in the nation’s Olympic movement in particular and growth and development of sports in the country in general.

We have taken time and space, in our first article published on the 11th of this month to register our pulse against detractors of Engr Habu Gumel ahead of thursday’s elective congress in Jalingo. In that article, we sought to know ‘who is afraid of Habu Gumel’? While that question is yet to be attended to by the faceless and cowardly detractors, perhaps it is time to let you know why they are constantly afraid of Engr Habu Gumel, hence their bitter and frustrated resolve to stop a moving train.

The reasons are not far-fetched as they are not unconnected to the administrator’s sterling and excellent achievements on the saddle. We definitely have not forgotten that the following landslide achievements in Nigeria Olympic movement are credited to Engr Habu Ahmed Gumel, the quintessential sports administrator:

NOC Secretariat building in Lagos.

Renovation of all structures, interior and exterior with quality landscaping, thereby making it befitting of an international organisation.

Equipping the various offices with state-of-the-art information technology facilities, replacement of all air-conditioning units and various other fixtures and fittings for smooth operation of work by staff and others alike.
Developing the Olympafrica centre in Amuwo Odofin Lagos, which is now ready for commissioning alongside the multi-purpose plateau for various sports as well as the indoor sports hall.
NOC land in Abuja.

Under Engr Habu Gumel, the NOC secured the partnerships of both the International Olympic Committee IOC and Association of Olympic Committees of Africa ANOCA in acquiring land for the building of the NOC Secretariat in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

ANOCA Secretariat building.

The Engr Habu Gumel-led NOC piloted the process that led to the delivery of ANOCA Secretariat building in Abuja, by engaging the Federal government of Nigeria, through the federal Ministry of youth and sports development.

Visit of IOC President to Nigeria.

Under the watch of Engr Habu Gumel, the NOC facilitated the historic visit of IOC President Thomas Bach to Nigeria for the commissioning of ANOCA Secretariat building in Abuja. On that occasion, the visitor promised to donate a spectator arena to NOC partner school, Aduvie International School, which has been completed, commissioned and delivered to the school.

Engr Gumel’s administration saw to the provision of Olympic scholarships worth US$414,240 to 19 Nigerian athletes which led all of them to qualifying for the Tokyo 2022 Olympic Games, with 2 of them clinching Silver and Bronze medals for Nigeria. The list includes Oluwatobilola Amusan, Ese Brume, Aruna Quadri amongst others.
In addition, a Team Support Grant of US$75,000 to Basketball and Hockey which contributed to the qualification of both the national male and female basketball teams to Tokyo Olympic Games.
Engr Habu Gumel’s administration facilitated various local and international trainings for Nigerian coaches, Sports Medicine professionals, Military and Para-military officials, Sports Journalists as well as provided Olympic education curriculum for various Nigerian universities, Secondary and Primary Schools.
This is in addition to the inauguration of the NOC-IOC
Women Commission to compliment the roles of women in sports administration and Olympic movement.
Winter Olympic Games. Under Engr Gumel, Nigeria made her debut appearance at a Winter Olympic Games as she took part in Bobsleigh and Skeleton Events at the 2018 edition in Peongyang, South Korea.
That was the first time for the African continent.
In the 2022 edition in Beijing, China, Nigeria also took part in the Cross-country Skiing.

The above-mentioned are some of the milestones recorded by the NOC under the watch of the seasoned administrator whom we have chosen to re-elect as president, this Thursday, December 15, 2022 in Jalingo.

It is only natural, sensible, progressive and productive to support his mission and vision of elevating sports and the Olympic movement in Nigeria for our good and that of coming generation.

Engr Habu Ahmed Gumel has been and will always be responsive to the nation’s aspirations towards global sporting greatness.

Another four years as president of NOC is the way forward.
You can take that to the bank.

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Sports

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

Published

4 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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