Sports

Rousing Reception As ICC Men’s T20 World Cup trophy touches down Abuja

Published

2 years ago

August 30, 2023

Joel Ajayi

It was a Celebration Galore, excitement to the core and fun as the original ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Trophy made a second triumphant entry to Nigeria for the second time in four years.

The trophy which weighs about 11 kilograms and stands at 650mm-has a golden globe held by three silver columns and was displayed at the symbolic Zuma Rock of the Federal Capital Territory by ICC and Nigeria Cricket Federation officials.

The World Cup trophy arrived at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, amidst celebration as the trophy made its way to popular Zuma Rock In Zuba before it was displayed inside the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Nigeria’s Capital city where fans, and stakeholders, had a glance of the most prestigious trophy in the game of cricket.

The trophy will leave for Lagos on Wednesday, August 30th, where a reception has been planned by the Lagos cricket community at the Tafawa Balewa Cricket Oval.

The trophy which departs from Lagos on Wednesday will continue its tour of 18 countries with an imminent arrival in South Africa on Thursday. The silverware was launched into the stratosphere completing 120,000 feet above the earth before a groundbreaking landing at the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Receiving the trophy on behalf of the Federal government inside Abuja National Stadium, Minister of Sports Senator John Enoh whose joy was visible commended ICC and Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) for steadily improving the game with regular activities.

Minister assured of the readiness of the current administration in developing sports in Nigeria. “My hope is that we are going to break new ground and make sports actually become what it should be in terms of job creation, security amongst others.

“The tour is very significant and Nigeria is privileged to be among the two countries in Africa to have the trophy. As Minister, I will give all the support to be part of the success and growth of all the sports federations.”

He congratulated Nigerians on the hostage.

Also speaking an excited President of Nigeria Cricket Federation NCF, Uyi Akpata said: Cricket has been making remarkable progress in the last five years saying that the federation will not relent in its effort to ensure more growth of the cricket in the country and beyond.

He attributed the second coming of the trophy to Nigeria’s rising profile in the game.

“Today, the Cricket trophy is here and we are happy and its an opportunity to show our culture and our strength as a nation.

“Certainly, Nigeria won’t take back foot again in cricket, rather we will continue to initiate developmental programs geared towards popularizing the game, and we have set another target of recruiting 500, 000 Nigerians into the game every year as of 2024.” He said.

However, NCF has introduced over one million entrants to cricket in the last four years.

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Sports

CGC Adeniyi inspects venue for 2025 African Women Volleyball Club C’ship

Published

11 hours ago

March 30, 2025

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, CGC Adewale Adeniyi MFR, has expressed satisfaction with the progress made so far at the competition venue on Sunday.

The tournament is billed for 1st to 14th April, 2025 at the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Package B, Abuja.

Speaking during an inspection tour of the facility, Adeniyi commended the efforts of those involved in setting up the venue, highlighting the dedication and resources committed over the past month.

The Comptroller General, who stopped by to assess the readiness of the venue, noted that while most aspects of the setup were in place, a few finishing touches remained.

He said, “It’s been one month of hard work, and we have committed a lot of resources in terms of time and energy into getting the facility ready for the African Women Volleyball Club Championship”.

“I felt I should stop by to see how far we have prepared.

“As you can see, we are just putting finishing touches in the hall; the mats are ready. Both halls will be put in good conditions for the players, officials, and fans to have a good experience when they turn up to watch the game”.

While acknowledging the significant progress, Adeniyi emphasised the need for final refinements before the tournament’s commencement.

He said, “I am fairly satisfied. There are still some little finishes to do, and I want to believe that before the commencement of the tournament, we’ll get them right”.

Multiple African Champion, Al Ahly of Egypt are the first country to arrive in Nigeria for the tournament.

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