Sports

Alfred Out Lures Financial Institution To Boost Tennis

Published

4 years ago

August 23, 2022

By Isoni Isoni, Calabar.

The Chief Executive of Otu Tennis Limited and a former tennis star in the country, Mr. Alfred Otu is not a happy man at least for now following the dwindling standard of the thrilling game of tennis in Nigeria.

Bearing his mind to the Gleamer News Otu who represented the country in the international scene while serving the military in the seventies and eighties said the only way out of this mess is for the financial institutions in the country to come to the rescue by using part of their annual profits for the development of the game as obtainable in other climes.

He said the appeal became necessary because any amount spent to develop the game will help to take the kids off the streets and give them means of livelihood.

Alfred Otu who had designed and constructed tennis courts in Lagos, Calabar, Delta, and other cities across the country is sad that a big country like Nigeria with huge human and material resources that used to be at the forefront in the game of tennis in the continent is now playing a second fiddle to countries like Benin Republic, Togo, Cameroon, Kenya, Ghana, etc.

And to buttress his facts, he disclosed to the Gleamer News how the International Tennis Federation (ITF) used to support the country in the past by providing tennis equipment and scholarships to help the kids who had embraced the game but corrupt tennis officials in the country in those days used to divert the equipment to commercial sports shops and awarded scholarships meant for the kids to their children and relations.

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Sports

VIP Spikers unveil Veronica Gyamfi following successful surgery after career-threatening injury

Published

4 hours ago

October 25, 2026

The Gleamer

VIP Spikers have unveiled Veronica Gyamfi as their player, pledging to support her welfare and recovery after an injury sustained during last season’s CGC Volleyball Premier League.

The unveiling took place on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at the Indoor Sports Hall of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, with Samuel Onikeku, Head of Sports, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), performing the ceremony.

Gyamfi sustained the injury while representing Wikki during last season’s CGC Volleyball Premier League.

In a swift response, the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Dr Bashir Adewale Adeniyi (MFR), and the President of Vipers sponsored her surgery at Dala Orthopedic Hospital in Kano, where she spent two weeks receiving medical attention.

Her signing by Vipers and Partners VC, popularly known as VIP Spikers, is expected to provide her with continued care and support as she progresses through recovery and works towards returning to competitive volleyball.

Meanwhile, Gyamfi was presented a brand new ASICS canvas and a branded jersey of VIP Spikers as it is believed she would return to play after completing her rehabilitation.

The intervention reflects the importance of athlete welfare in Nigerian sports, particularly the need to ensure that players who sustain injuries while representing their teams receive appropriate medical attention and rehabilitation support.

The sponsorship of Gyamfi’s surgery by the Comptroller-General, followed by her signing by VIP Spikers, highlights the potential impact of collaboration between sports authorities, competition sponsors and clubs in safeguarding athletes’ careers.

After the surgery Gyamfi has been undergoing physiotherapy sessions at the 44 Military Reference hospital in Kaduna as the Sporting Club is supporting her education at Kaduna State Polytechnic.

Gyamfi’s story offers an encouraging example of support for an athlete facing a difficult period in her career.

Her unveiling reinforces the message that volleyball development goes beyond competitions and trophies to include protecting players’ welfare and helping them return to the sport they love.

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