Sports

School Sports Hold the Key to Nigeria’s Sustainable Sports Development-NSSF

Published

11 months ago

October 25, 2025

Joel Ajayi

President of the Nigeria School Sport Federation (NSSF), Mrs. Olabisi Joseph, has reaffirmed that school sports remain the foundation for sustainable sports development in Nigeria.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the maiden National School Volleyball Championship for Boys and Girls Under-15 held on Friday in Abuja, Joseph expressed joy over the successful hosting of the historic event, describing it as a significant step toward discovering and nurturing young talents through the nation’s school system.

“I’m so excited that this has become a reality. This is the first-ever National School Volleyball Championship, and our partnership with the Nigeria Volleyball Federation (NVBF) is a major milestone in discovering volleyball players from our schools,” she said.

Joseph emphasized that schools provide the best platform for early talent identification and development, as the education policy guarantees free and compulsory education for children under 15.

“The school system is the bedrock of sports development. We have an abundance of talent, and if we truly want to discover athletes, we must look to our schools,” she said.
“From primary school at age six to junior secondary at 15, these children are within the compulsory education bracket. This is where we can identify and groom the next generation of champions.”

She lauded the NVBF for partnering with the federation, noting that similar collaborations with table tennis, badminton, and athletics federations had previously yielded positive results.

Joseph expressed delight at the level of play and enthusiasm displayed by the young athletes, some as young as 12 years old, who traveled from across the country — including Cross River, Adamawa, and Yobe States — to participate in the competition.

“Travel itself is a form of education and exposure. Beyond what we see on the court, our children have expanded their knowledge and social interaction. Research shows that sports stimulate learning — what we are doing is building total education and developing the total child,” she added.

The NSSF President also announced that exceptional players from the championship would be selected to represent Nigeria at the International School Sport Federation (ISF) World School Volleyball Championship in China, scheduled for December 3–13.

“This is an exceptional opportunity for our children to showcase their talent on the world stage, with scouts from across the globe in attendance. By God’s grace, Nigeria will be represented proudly, thanks to the support of state governments that sponsored their students to this event,” she stated.

Joseph expressed gratitude to the National Sports Commission, the Nigeria Olympic Committee, and other stakeholders for their support toward grassroots sports development.

“Everyone is coming together to get it right from the foundation — the school base. The Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, was here to encourage the children, alongside the Secretary General of the Nigeria Olympic Committee, the FCT Mandate Secretary, and officials from the Volleyball Federation,” she said.

She emphasized that collaboration among stakeholders remains essential to building a strong sports culture in Nigeria.

“When we invest in our children, we are investing in the future of Nigeria. School sports are the bedrock of sustainable sports development, and through collective effort, we can nurture champions and build a better nation,” she concluded.

She reaffirmed the NSSF’s commitment to continued collaboration with national sports federations to provide students with opportunities for both local and international development.

At the end of the championship, FCT I emerged champions in both the boys and girls categories. In the boys’ division, Kaduna State clinched silver while FCT II took bronze. In the girls’ division, FCT II won silver and Bayelsa State settled for bronze.

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Sports

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

Published

12 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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