Sports
Africa Taekwondo G-4 Championship Nigeria Finished 8th on Medal table
Nigerian Taekwondo athletes to the just concluded Africa Taekwondo G-4 championship in Kigali, Rwanda, finished 8th on the log of the medal table.
The team went home with 1 Silver and 2 bronze medals.
Benjamin Okuomose of the +87Kg got Nigeria a silver medal losing out in the final to Morocco Ayoub Bassei, while Shola Olowookere lost out in the semi-finals to Tunisia’s Firas Katousi to win a bronze medal.
In the Women`s category, Nigeria Olympian Elizabeth Anayacho lost out of Egyptian Aya Shehata in the semi-finals to claim a bronze medal.
Reacting to the team’s performance, Mr Egwin Osita who is the technical director of the Nigeria Taekwondo Federation admitted this was one the best performances at the championship.
“We faced a lot of issues due to the weather which affected not only our athletes but everyone that participated, for us we arrived just a day to the championship so we couldn`t acclimatized well but I am proud of the standard that we gave because it could be compared to world standard”.
He maintained that a lot of things needed to be put in place for Nigeria to be able to clinch a world title in any major championship. “Look at for example, Benjamin Okumose in the +87Kg category defeated Olympics Silver medalist in Rio, and top athlete Seydou Gbane of Ivory Coast.
Egwin Osita called on well-meaning Nigerians, Private Sponsors to look into the Sports to help the athletes win more medals for the country.
“Our major setback what that we didn`t get enough preparation before the championship looking at the fact that while we were in camp Egypt, Niger Republic and Morocco attended two Grand Prix events and if not for our federation President Abdullahi Saidu Baba who ensured we got things to help us go through and his board members.
Morocco finished overall top with 15 medals: 8 gold, 3 sliver and 4 bronze. Egypt finished 2nd with total of 13 medals: 3 gold, 5 silver and 5 bronze. Ivory Coast finished third 3rd with 7 medals: 2 gold 3 silver and 2 bronze. A total of 39 countries participated in the Africa Taekwondo G-4 Championship.
Sports
NLO’s Shola Ogunowo Earns Praise for Driving Grassroots Football and Exemplifying Integrity
Joel Ajayi
The Nigerian football community has lauded Mr. Shola Ogunowo, Chief Operating Officer of the Nationwide League One (NLO), for his unwavering commitment to integrity and the development of grassroots football, earning him widespread respect and admiration across the sporting landscape.
In a statement released in Abuja and signed by Okechukwu Okebugwu, Mr. Ogunowo was praised as a transformative leader who has redefined the ethics and standards of football administration at the grassroots level. According to the release, Ogunowo has emerged as a “leading figure in the fight against match-fixing, bribery, and all forms of corruption” that have plagued the lower tiers of Nigerian football for decades.
Through consistent enforcement of transparency, fairness, and accountability, Mr. Ogunowo is steering the NLO toward becoming a credible platform where talent can be discovered and nurtured based on merit, rather than manipulation or favoritism.
“In an environment where shortcuts and compromises are all too common, Shola Ogunowo has remained a pillar of integrity,” Okebugwu stated. “He is restoring credibility to grassroots football by ensuring that fair play, discipline, and professionalism are non-negotiable.”
Since taking over as COO, Ogunowo has spearheaded a number of structural reforms aimed at instilling discipline and operational excellence among participating clubs. These include stricter licensing requirements, performance audits, and compliance monitoring to ensure clubs uphold the league’s code of conduct. His administration has also emphasized youth development, with a renewed focus on coaching education and player welfare.
The result is a reinvigorated Nationwide League One that is beginning to attract renewed attention from fans, corporate sponsors, and local communities. Observers say Ogunowo’s leadership is helping reshape perceptions of grassroots football—not just as a stepping stone to the elite leagues, but as a vital foundation for the future of Nigerian football.
“His leadership is not only impacting the pitch—it’s rebuilding trust, creating real value, and setting a good standard for sports administration in Nigeria,” Okebugwu concluded.
As the NLO season progresses, many stakeholders believe that with figures like Shola Ogunowo at the helm, the future of grassroots football in Nigeria is not only secure, but promising.
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