Sports

Grand Slam Participation Possible for Nigeria If …….— NTF Aspirant

Published

11 months ago

October 23, 2025

By Joel Ajayi

Presidential aspirant and current board member representing sponsors and philanthropists on the Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF), Rt. Hon. Victor Ochei, has expressed strong optimism that Nigeria can compete in major international Grand Slam tournaments if the right structures, funding, and athlete development programs are properly implemented.

Ochei made this known on Thursday while presenting his manifesto before the Electoral Committee of the National Sports Commission (NSC) ahead of the forthcoming federation elections.

He noted that Nigeria has the raw talent and potential to excel globally but stressed the importance of consistent training, international exposure, and targeted investment in ranking tournaments to make Grand Slam participation achievable.

“Nigeria has what it takes to play at the Grand Slam level. All we need are strong structures, quality training, and a strategic development plan that gives our athletes the exposure they need to compete with the best,” Ochei said.

According to him, his passion for sports development stems from years of involvement in empowering athletes, particularly persons with disabilities, through initiatives such as wheelchair basketball — a program that has produced numerous success stories.

“Sports have always been a tool for transformation, inclusion, and national pride. My leadership will focus on rebuilding structures, creating pathways for young talents, and providing equal opportunities for every athlete,” he added.

Ochei pledged that if elected as president, he would revive grassroots tennis, upgrade facilities nationwide, and build a sustainable ecosystem that supports players, coaches, and officials at all levels.

“My vision is to bring tennis back into national focus — to make it as exciting and unifying as football. I bring experience, exposure, and global connections that will help reposition Nigerian tennis. Sports should not only be about competition but also about entertainment — we must make tennis entertaining again,” he stated.

Highlighting the struggles of athletes, Ochei emphasized the need to make tennis a viable and rewarding career for Nigerian players.

“Too often, our athletes give their best years to the sport and end up struggling after retirement. That must change. My goal is to build a structure that supports them both during and after their careers,” he said.

Reflecting on Nigeria’s golden era in tennis, Ochei recalled a time when the country was a vibrant force on the global stage, producing stars like Nduka Odizor, who once ranked World No. 84.

“In the 1980s, Lagos was a hub for international tournaments. Players from across the world came to compete here. I still remember watching David Imonitie and Sadiq Abdullahi play at the Ikoyi Club — the energy was electric. Sadly, that passion has faded over the years,” he lamented.

Ochei noted that while tennis is often viewed as an elite sport, it holds deeper opportunities for youth development, discipline, and national pride.

“When you look at the ATP and WTA rankings today, very few Africans — and hardly any Nigerians — are represented. That has to change. With the right leadership and sustained commitment, we can restore Nigeria’s place among the world’s best,” he affirmed.

Concluding, Ochei expressed confidence that with strategic development, inclusivity, and passion, Nigerian tennis can be revived to produce world-class players capable of competing on the biggest stages of the sport.

“The future of Nigerian tennis lies in structure, strategy, and commitment. My mission is to make Nigeria a formidable force in global tennis, empower our athletes, and use sports as a platform to change lives,” he declared.

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Sports

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

Published

3 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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