Sports

Go and Produce More Players Nimrod Tasks New FIVB Certified Nigerian Coaches

Published

3 years ago

April 19, 2023

Joel Ajayi

The President of Nigeria Volleyball Federation NVF Engr. Musa Nimrod has charged all the newly Federation of International Volleyball federation certified coaches to go to the nook and cranny of the nation and produce more players in the country.

It will be recalled that 45 Nigerians coaches’ underwent 5-day FIVB training courses inside Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja Package B after 16 years of such courses in the country.

Speaking shortly after the training in Abuja, Engr. Nimrod tells the coaches that Nigerian wants to see the impact of the training soon.

According to him, I am a professional engineer. I don’t believe a certificate is the major thing, we can earn a certificate, but are you putting it in practice? It’s not just to get the certificate, it’s now left for them to go back and be producing players. I will not be happy with them if they fail to produce players.

“We want to see the impact of this certificate. That is why we selected them from premier league to division 1, division 2 and even the state sports council. This is the time to produce more athletes.

“I want Nigerians to understand that this level 1 course took place 16 years ago, that is why we try our best to bring the coaching course and it was massive, the number of coaches coming for the course shows that we are on the right track.

“It’s our desire to hold a level 2 training course in August that is our agreement between the international coach and FIVB.

On his own, the FIVB instructor coach Emmanuel Esayas from Ethopia lauded Nigerian coaches saying that FIVB desire is to boost their effort toward the growth of the game.

“I think most of the coaches in Nigeria are talented because they play volleyball and if you play volleyball it is not difficult for them to understand the training, they know rules, skills, they know everything.

“We came here just to boost them to some level. I am here because of volleyball, and I saw many good coaches so I need Nigerian people to support them.”

One of the participant’s coaches who is head coach of Offa Volleyball club Suleiman Ajaegbe said that training will go a long way to help the coaches in the country.

“I think everyone here is really fulfilled, this is a course that was held 16 years ago for the federation to bring it, and it’s a big thing in our life.

“This training will go a long way in helping us, we shall work on what we have learnt here for a better future of volleyball in the country.”

Like Oliva Twist, he however, asked federation not let it take longer period of time before bringing the course back to the Nigeria

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Sports

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

Published

7 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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