Sports
Royal Father Urges Unity in Nigerian Basketball as Stakeholders React
Prominent Basketball Promoter and Initiator of Mark D Ball Basketball Championship, Mr. Igoche Mark, has praised the Andoma of Doma, Dr. Ahmadu Aliyu Oga Onawo (OON), for convening a meeting of basketball stakeholders aimed at uniting the basketball family.
The meeting, held at the royal father’s palace in Doma, Nasarawa State over the weekend, brought together critical stakeholders, both physically and virtually, to discuss ways to safeguard the institution of basketball in Nigeria.
The Andoma of Doma urged stakeholders to put aside their differences and work towards the betterment of Nigerian basketball. “The institution has not been safe-guarded, this we must do, we must agree to do better. Each of us should jealously safeguard the NBBF. We must seek investments that will make the sport great. Our divergent views must not be our undoing; we must apply wisdom, and with this, the prosperity we are demanding will come,” he said.
He added that anyone who emerges as the president of the NBBF must carry others along, and urged stakeholders to hold a similar meeting within a month to find lasting peace in Nigerian basketball.
Commending the royal father’s initiative, Mr. Igoche Mark called for more such meetings, emphasizing the need for stakeholders to forget past shortcomings and forgive each other.
“I really appreciate you, our royal father, for taking time out to call us for a peace meeting, despite your busy schedule. We are one big family united by basketball, and for this initiative of yours, the only way we can move forward is if we come together. I want to urge all of us that, for all of us to move forward, we must forget the past; let’s forgive each other’s shortcomings,” Mark said.
South West Representative on the NBBF Board, Olumide Oyedeji, echoed Mark’s sentiments, calling for a greater sense of responsibility among stakeholders and urging them to avoid character assassination and negative campaigns.
Other notable attendees included Adamu Deshi, Osita Nwachukwu, Ejike Ugboaja, Frank Jituboh, and Kingsley Aigbonoga, as well as the Plateau State and Nasarawa State chairmen of the Basketball Association, Col. Samuel Ahmedu (rtd) and Isah Umar, who joined virtually.
Sports
Plateau Vipers, Benue Queens Crowned Champions at HFN North Central Division One Tourney
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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