Sports
Rakiya in Uyo to Scout for National Volleyball players at NDSF
Joel Ajayi
With the opening ceremony activities capturing all attention on Tuesday, contests for medals effectively commenced at the Niger Delta Sports Festival (NDSF) in Handball and Football with Volleyball national team Coach on hand to scout potential future stars.
Some other coaches arrived Uyo, the Akwa Ibom state capital as part of the Scouting and Mentorship committee that has the responsibility of picking out outstanding athletes for sustained development.
Rakiya Mohammed, the country’s U-19 Volleyball Coach in one such Coaches at the festival where she endorsed the organisers initiative which she agreed will lead to the discovery and nurturing of the next generation athletes from the region and for Nigeria.
“I’m so delighted with what the organizers of NDSF have put together to help discover talents who will take over from the ageing ones. What I find fascinating is that this event is an age grade one, which means that we, the coaches have been provided a unique opportunity to see young players up close.
“I expect the best selection of under age athletes, because grassroots events like this are the best place to identify future stars. I expect the coaches of the participating teams to come with young players who can easily be mentored and groomed for the future, having identified those with exceptional qualities. The end result is to make their parents and Nigeria proud”, she told Journalists who caught up with her at the colourful opening ceremony on Tuesday.
Aside identifying potentials during the NDSF and engaging the young athletes on the right path as mentees, Rakiya said she is also on ground in Uyo to select good players for the U-19 National team.
She has been the coach of the National Volleyball Coach since 2014 but had started with the U-17 team which she led to the African Youth Games, Botswana.
She was promoted to the U-18 team as an assistant coach and later moved to the U-21 team. She is presently the head coach of the U-19 team.
The Maiden edition of the Niger Delta Sports Festival began on Tuesday, the 1st of April 2025 with Youths from the Niger Delta region competing in 17 events which includes Volleyball.
Sports
AACT 2026: 31 Days to Africa’s Big Sporting Gathering in Abuja
Joel Ajayi
The countdown to the 2026 All Africa Challenge Trophy (AACT) has officially entered the final month, with just 31 days to go before Africa’s leading women’s team golf championship tees off at the IBB International Golf & Country Club in Abuja.
In a statement signed by the AACT 2026Director of Communication Kayode Adeniyi on Friday in Abuja.
Under the theme “Africa Is Coming to Abuja,” the countdown campaign will spotlight the championship, the participating nations, the players, the host venue and the growing development of women’s golf across the continent.
The 2026 AACT, scheduled for November 2–7, will bring together women’s golfing talent from across Africa for six days of continental competition in Nigeria’s capital.
As preparations continue at the IBB International Golf & Country Club, attention is increasingly turning to Abuja, where the championship will provide a platform for African golfers to compete while also showcasing Nigeria’s hospitality and the country’s growing profile as a destination for major sporting events.
The countdown will feature daily stories, interviews, player and country profiles, tournament facts, behind-the-scenes updates and features on the host venue as the championship draws closer.
The campaign will also highlight the role of the Ladies Golf Association of Nigeria (LGAN), the Local Organising Committee and other stakeholders in preparing for the continental championship.
With just 31 days remaining, anticipation is building across the African golfing community as Abuja prepares to welcome the continent’s leading women golfers.
Africa is coming to Abuja.
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