Joel Ajayi

The President of the Nigeria Volleyball Federation (NVBF), Musa Yimrod, has said that the Nigeria’s qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games as a historic breakthrough after about 16 years of waiting, attributing the achievement to God.

Nimrod who spoke on Sunday night on the arrival of victorious team to country, after the Nigerian women’s beach volleyball team, Esther Mbah and Pamela Bawa, secured the country’s historic first Olympic qualification in beach volleyball at the 2026 African Beach Volleyball Nations Championship in Alexandria, Egypt.

The Nigerian pair defeated Morocco in the decisive encounter to secure the continental ticket and book their place at the Los Angeles Games.

Expressing his excitement over the feat, Nimrod said the qualification was the result of years of effort and missed opportunities, stressing that the achievement had finally fulfilled a long-standing ambition of Nigerian volleyball.

According to him, Nigeria had come close to Olympic qualification on several occasions but failed to secure a ticket, making the latest achievement particularly significant.

“I’m very happy because the journey has been about 16 years.”

He recalled that Nigeria had missed qualification opportunities on the road to previous Olympic Games, including Rio, Tokyo and Paris, but finally broke the jinx in the beach volleyball event.

Nimrod, however, was quick to give the glory to God, saying divine intervention played a major role in the team’s success.

“It is God Almighty that gave us this victory. It is not my own effort or anybody’s effort. The glory goes back to God,” he said.

The NVBF president revealed that he personally prayed with the players on the phone on the morning of the decisive match, saying his faith in God remained central to his approach to leadership.

“I’m a man of prayer and I believe in the Almighty, who is the maker of all life,” he added.

While celebrating the qualification, Nimrod said the federation’s work had only just begun, stressing that adequate preparations would be required to ensure that Nigeria makes a strong showing at the Olympics.

He said that the federation was targeting at least five international World Tour events for the players before the Games to improve their ranking and ensure a favourable draw.

“The work ahead is not going to be easy. I have to look for World Tours for them. They have to do about five World Tours. If not, they won’t get their ranking very well and they could fall into a very difficult group,” he explained.

Nimrod said the players had already achieved two major milestones by qualifying for the World Championships and the Los Angeles Olympics, describing the feat as a source of pride for Nigerian volleyball.

He therefore called for support from stakeholders and the government to enable the federation prepare the athletes adequately for the global stage.

The federation president also expressed optimism about the future of Nigeria’s national volleyball teams, particularly the younger players who have progressed through the federation’s development programmes.

He noted that some of the players had risen through youth competitions, including the African Youth Games, into the senior national teams.

President however, cautioned against making premature promises about further qualification successes, saying the federation would take each match as it comes.

“I don’t like making comments that will bring me into politics. I will not promise you anything. But the work is there,” he said.

He urged Nigerians to continue supporting the teams, stressing that success in international volleyball requires collective effort and sustained investment.

Nimrod also maintained that his confidence in the future of Nigerian volleyball was rooted in his faith, insisting that he relied on God rather than individuals.

“For me, I don’t rely on man. I rely on God,” he said.

With Nigeria now set to make history at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, attention will shift to preparations, international competitions and ranking points as the federation seeks to ensure that the historic qualification translates into a strong Olympic campaign.

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