Sports

Huge Turnout on Day 2 of Akwa Ibom Trials for Niger Delta Games

Published

8 months ago

January 31, 2026

Athletes turned out in huge numbers on the second day of trials for Akwa Ibom state trials for selection of athletes for the second Niger Delta Games.

Droves of athletes, officials and spectators were spotted at the Nest of Champions and West Itam Sports Centre which played hosts to four sports.

At the Nest of Champions where boxing took place, fans were treated to some spectacle by the duo of Jedidiah Bassey and Princewill Itoro whose punching accuracy, footwork, agility and composure in the men’s 60-65 kg category caught the eye of a plethora of onlookers which included the chairman of the state liaison committee for the games and commissioner for sports, Elder Paul Bassey.

Speaking on the sidelines of the exercise, Mr Bassey paid glowing tributes to the Niger Delta Development Commission – NDDC, sponsors of the games, and Dunamis-Icon Limited, organizers of the games, citing talent discovery as a key aspect of the ARISE agenda of the Governor of Akwa Ibom state, Pastor Umo Eno.

“The administration of Governor Umo Eno places a lot of premium on talent hunt and grassroots sports development.” Mr Bassey said.

“The ideals of this competition completely align with the policy statement of His Excellency’s ARISE agenda.” This is why I’m very grateful to the NDDC and Dunamis-Icon for putting together this competition that is now of copious benefits to everyone,” the sports boss added.

At West Itam Sports Centre where handball, volleyball and basketball took place, all registered athletes turned up and took part in the trials.
Godswill Edet, a volleyball player and an SS2 student of West Itam secondary school, bared his mind on the trials.

“I am delighted to be part of these trials, and I look forward to making my parents and Akwa Ibom proud when the main games commence.”

Despite only being in SS3, Esther Idongesit of community secondary commercial school, Ibiaku Itam, sees a future for herself in professional handball.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to represent Akwa Ibom at a major competition, but I also hope to become a world-class handball player someday.”

Team Akwa Ibom, which finished sixth at the maiden edition of the Niger Delta Games, will be hoping to improve on that placement
when the second edition gets under way from February 20 to 27, in Edo state.

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Sports

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

Published

11 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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