Sports
AFCON 2026: Mascot Displayers Thumb Shehu Dikko, DG for support, hospitality in Morocco
…Congratulates Super Eagles for outstanding feat
By Chris Onokpegu
The Mascot Displayers Association of Nigeria (MDAN) has commended the National Sports Commission (NSC) for the show of love towards its members in the just-concluded 2026 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco.
Leader of Delegation, Mr. Adewale Owosheni thanked the NSC Chairman, Mallam Shehu Dikko for the fatherly role he played. He also appreciated the Director General, Hon. Bukola Olopade for ensuring that they were comfortable throughout the tournament.
According to Mr. Wale, “The NSC ensured that we were comfortable. We didn’t lack anything in Morocco. They sponsored our movement to and fro Morocco, provided for our accommodations, took care of our feeding, transported us to match venues, including taking care of other logistics, to make life easy for us hence we had enough energy to cheer and support the team to the third place match, where we won bronze medal.”
Also adding his voice, Mascot Chief Coordinator, Mr. Muyiwa Fapetu thanked the duo of Mallam Dikko and Hon. Olopade for the great jobs they have been doing in sports generally saying their coming into the NSC has taken sports to greater heights.
He said, their intervention in ensuring that Super Eagles got their landed properties, promised by the federal government and prompt payment of their match bonuses and allowances really helped to spur the team to glory but unfortunately, they couldn’t lift the trophy. Fapetu however believes that the Super Eagles are very close to lifting their fourth trophy which will definitely be in the next AFCON in East Africa especially with the duo of Dikko and Olopade in charge of the affairs at the NSC.
Meanwhile, Mr. Wale, who was elated on arrival alongside with his team, on Monday, at the Abuja International Airport, also praised the Super Eagles and the Coaching Crew led by Eric Chelle for their wonderful displays in Morocco.
His words, “We are proud of the Super Eagles and the Coaching Crew led by Eric Chelle for the wonderful feats in Morocco. Although, they didn’t qualify for the world cup, we still believe in them to deliver one day and we will continue to support them wherever they go.”
While also congratulating the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, Mr. Owosheni called for continuity in the team. He also advised that preparation for the next AFCON in 2027 to be played in East Africa and co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda should start on time.
Finally, he urged them to start scouting more quality players in order to make the national team more competitive. “Our bench should be as good as our starting team and discovering new players will also help to take care of possibly injured or aging players in the team.”
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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