Sports
OLYMPIC GAMES: NO TRANSPARENCY IN INTERVENTION FUNDS – NATIONAL ASSEMBLY TO FG
Joel Ajayi
The 10th National Assembly has raised concerns about the lack of transparency in the allocation of intervention funds for the 2024 Olympic Games to the Ministry of Sports Development.
The Nigeria Government doled out billions of naira each time the country participated in the Commonwealth Games and the Olympic Games.
The Chairman House Committee on Sports, Hon. Ekene Adams frowned at the situation where most Sports Federation sponsored their athletes to qualify for Olympic Games without Ministry’s support but the Sports Ministry receives money from the government on behalf of the sports federations once they have qualified.
He said, “80% of the National Sports Federation don’t get a dime from the funds allocated for them in the budget in each calendar year.”
He therefore advised the Federal Government to ensure that the intervention funds are scrutinised by the National Assembly before they are passed.
“The Bola Ahmed Tinubu led government prioritised transparency and accountability in allocation of funds and the intervention funds for the Olympic Games should follow the same procedure by involving the National Assembly in the scrutiny of the funds. This will ensure that the athletes, coaches and Presidents of the Federations benefit from the funds.
“Transparency in the process is crucial to ensure that the funds are used effectively and efficiently for the development of Sports in Nigeria. Without proper oversight, there is a risk they the funds could be mismanaged or misappropriated leading to waste of resources and missed opportunity to support the dedicated Nigerian athletes who put the country’s name on the global map.”
He further said, “For instance, foreign athletes who spent their hard-earned money on flight to and fro Ghana for African Games have not received the refund, also, coaches and many other athletes have not received their monetary prize for medals won at the All African Games in Ghana.
“The delay in settlement of these funds will further dampen the spirits of the athletes which in turn may affect Nigeria’s performance at the Olympics.
“We must do everything to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Renewed Hope agenda.
The President has been doing everything in making sure that Nigeria is placed among the best in the world and the 10th National Assembly shares same with the President. Therefore, the struggle to place the country among the best should not be left to the Presidency alone.”
Sports
Plateau Vipers, Benue Queens Crowned Champions at HFN North Central Division One Tourney
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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