Sports

Volleyball: Our doors are open to partnership in 2023 says Nimrod

Published

4 years ago

January 1, 2023

The President of Nigeria Volleyball Federation, Engineer Musa Nimrod said the doors of the Federation are open to corporate organisations that are willing to partner for the development of the sports across the country.

In his New Year message made available to newsmen on Sunday, Nimrod said the aspirations of the Nigeria Volleyball Federation in 2023 is to make a meaningful impact at International Championships as well as qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

He said Nigeria volleyball can achieve the desired goals when major stakeholders are committed to the same course.

The Secretary General of Confederation of African Volleyball (CAVB) Zone 3 lauded the commitment of players, coaches, referees, club owners, administrators, sponsors and board members for their contribution to the growth and development of the game since their inauguration.

He said, “Our doors are open for sponsorship and support as well as seeking partnership and MOU with corporate organisations that wish to key into the sport as a social responsibility to the youths of Nigeria.

“Our aspirations this year includes making it to the numerous and important continental as well as global engagements vis a vis the 2023 African Games, 2023 African Youths Games and FIVB U19 Boys World Youths Championship, as well as series of Beach Volleyball events which will climax with the 2024 Olympics qualifiers in which Nigeria have registered to participate.

“The year 2023 is an opportunity to step up our commitment and dedication to our goals and objectives. This can only be achieved by our collective efforts and common desire for success as a federation.”

Nimrod said, “Appreciation goes to all clubs, sponsors with due recognition to all players for their patience, club owners and administrators for their understanding, stakeholders for their support, coaches and referees for their sacrifices and to all members of the Board of Administration for their contribution to the growth and development of the game since our inauguration.

“No matter what challenges we faced, the past is now but a lesson. As we are ushered into the new year, we have a renewed hope for greater vision and better goals”, he added.

The member of Confederation of African Beach Volleyball Commission recounted some of the successes recorded by the Nigeria Volleyball Federation.

He said, “Without recounting all our success, I will on behalf of the Federation express heartfelt gratitude to everyone that played a different role in our successes last year, especially the triple international participation of our junior national teams in which Nigeria topped the podium at the U19 Championship in Morocco.

“The senior beach volleyball teams also participated in the African nations cup in Morocco where they performed credibly well. Your various contributions and involvement are noble and deeply appreciated.

“In 2022, M we dared to expand our horizon to involve National Division 2 Volleyball League and the Beach Volleyball Tour which another category will be created this year for new entrants into the tour. The aim is to spread the opportunities of the game to all levels.

“Despite the lapses we hope and believe we can do better and be better, but everything better can only be achieved with unity of purpose and collective effort,” he said.

Nimrod advised clubs and sponsors to always get clearance for the Nigeria Volleyball Federation Secretariat before using the logo for competitions across the country.

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Sports

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

Published

9 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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