Sports

We Are Sponsoring Sports Federations To Lift Many Nigerian Youth-CG

Published

2 years ago

September 8, 2024

Joel Ajayi

The Comptroller General of Nigerian Customs, Alhaji Bashir Adewale Adeniyi has revealed that it’s a deliberate policy of Nigeria Customs to develop sports toward the growth and development of Nigerian Youth.

For over two weeks, the Nigeria Volleyball Federation NVF, in collaboration with the Comptroller-General of Customs has put in place the National Volleyball Premier League for Men and Women tourney first Phase.

Adeniyi stated this on Saturday at the indoor basketball hall of Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja when he watched the Nigeria Customs Male team that defeated Adamawa Spikers in 3 straight sets.

Speaking shortly after the Game, the Customs Boss said: It’s a deliberate effort by our organization it is deliberate because there is a lot of mileage that we can get from Sporting Excellence.

“Customs do have a very rich history of excellent performance in sports. We’ve produced national and international champions before in boxing, in athletics.

“Of course, our volleyball team is doing very well. They participated in the African Championships sometimes. Our basketball team is doing very, very well.

“We used to play in the National Football League. So we have a very rich history of very, very excellent performance in sports. This is why we found it very, very necessary, not only to encourage our athletes within the Customs but also to extend our support and sponsorship to federations that seek assistance from us.

“I used to participate in the volleyball tournaments way back when I was much younger. It used to be a very thriving competition then. It used to be the avenue for us to pick the best of our athletes to represent us in national and international competitions.”

Speaking on the importance of sports to the officer. He expressed that once the officers are fit it will increase their performance.

“It’s very simple. Every sporting activity has some elements that make it thrive. You need discipline, you need to work in a team, you need strength, you need stability, and you need intelligence. These are all elements that we need even in our regular day-to-day activities as Customs officers.

“So, if they succeed in imbibing all of these virtues while playing their various games, it becomes easier for them to make very good customs officers or very good paramilitary officers.

“So this is why we encourage our talents, those in our fold, to ensure that they give their best when they are competing in these kinds of events.

“But I’ve also observed that in the last two, three years, there’s been a lull in that. We felt when the federation approached us to assist, we were more than glad to do it.” He said.

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Sports

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

Published

21 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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