Sports

NSC Applauds Young Sporting Talents in Abuja, Asaba During Appreciation Tour

Published

7 months ago

March 11, 2026

Joel Ajayi

The National Sports Commission (NSC) has continued its nationwide Youth Appreciation Tour with the recognition of outstanding young athletes in Abuja and Asaba, bringing the total number of honourees so far to eleven.

The Abuja leg of the appreciation tour took place on Wednesday at the Nigerian Tulip International College, with the Chairman of the NSC, Mallam Shehu Dikko, Director General Hon. Bukola Olopade, and former Minister of Youth and Sports Development, now Presidential Spokesman, Hon. Sunday Dare, in attendance.

Speaking at the Abuja event, Hon. Sunday Dare expressed satisfaction with the progress being made in youth sports development.

“I’m excited because what is being done align with the universal laws of sowing as we know it – find promising stars early, nurture them and then the harvest comes. We have continued to partner with the private sector, and the seeds we sowed four years ago are what we are harvesting today. Credit must go to the Chairman and Director General of the National Sports Commission for their insight and commitment to sustaining this vision,” he said.

Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Mallam Shehu Dikko, reaffirmed that youth and grassroots sports remain central to the Commission’s mandate.

“Youth and grassroots development are at the core of what we do. We want to raise the standards of school sports and ensure that schools at all levels, primary, secondary and universities, receive the necessary support to discover and nurture athletes in collaboration with the National Sports Commission,” Dikko stated.

Director General of the NSC, Hon. Bukola Olopade, emphasized that the Commission is strengthening partnerships between schools and the sports ecosystem while prioritizing athlete welfare.

“We will continue to encourage strong relationships between schools and sports. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has always made it clear that Nigerian athletes must never feel abandoned or neglected, and that is the commitment of this Commission,” Hon. Olopade said.

Hon. Sunday Dare had previously signed a landmark partnership with Nigerian Tulip International College during his tenure as Sports Minister, a collaboration that continues to support youth sports development.

Among the athletes honoured in Abuja were Rosemary Chigozie Nwankwo and Miracle Oluebube Ezechukwu, two exceptional junior athletes who first emerged through the invited junior athletes initiative.

Both athletes progressed to represent Nigeria at the CAA African U18/U20 Athletics Championships, where they won gold medals for the country, before going on to secure additional medals at the African Youth Games in Angola and African Schhool Games in Algeria.

Other beneficiaries of the appreciation programme included taekwondo athletes Crown Umeh and Unique Umeh, who received ₦1 million each in recognition of their performances. Unique Umeh had earlier secured a bronze medal at the maiden African School Games in Algeria.

In athletics, Andrew Miracle Yemi, an African Junior standout, received ₦2 million in appreciation of his achievements. Adaeze Precious was also honoured with ₦1 million, while Rosemary Chigozie Nwankwo received ₦3 million for her outstanding performances.

Miracle Ezechukwu, the West African champion and Nigerian champion, was also recognised with a ₦3 million reward for his remarkable accomplishments.

Simultaneously, another NSC team carried out a similar recognition event in Asaba, Delta State. The team was led by the Director of Grassroots Development, Chief Amaka Ashiofu, alongside the Director of FEADS, Madam Mbora Ikana, where promising athletes and medal winners, Udoh David and Gowon Oghenerunor were also honoured.

The Youth Appreciation Tour will continue in Uyo on Thursday, where the Commission is scheduled to honour additional junior sports stars as part of the NSC’s commitment to grassroots sports development.

The NSC Youth Appreciation Tour is part of the Commission’s broader strategy to support and reward emerging talents while strengthening the foundation of Nigerian sports through structured grassroots development

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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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