Sports
Amaju Pinnick Scheming Desperation For Third Term Will Plunge Nigeria Football Into A New Phase Of Crises
After Nigeria failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Amanju Pinnick granted interviews both on Radio and Television that he has done his best for Nigeria Football and he will not be seeking Re-Election when his current tenure ends in September.
He said the decision was mostly born out of Family Advice and for him, his family is number one in everything he does.
But Surprisingly, many still doubted him at that time, saying that was a mere Media Gimmick or Diversion by Pinnick to try and ease the Anger of the Country’s Non-Qualification for the World Cup.
They said he is so Power-Drunk and very desperate to hold on to Power as NFF Boss and cannot even see himself leaving that Position.
In fact Pinnick got angry with the Journalist that interviewed him on the Radio( Godwin Enekhena), for placing too much emphasis on whether he has truly jettisoned the third term ambition or not.
Like what we say in the local Parlance, “Pinnick almost change am for Godwin for Radio”.
Fast forward to the current happenings in Nigeria Football, with about two months to the expiration of the tenure of the Pinnick board, what many feared about the Integrity of Pinnick’s Words then seem to now be manifesting gradually.
The NFF Election is scheduled to hold in September and it was looking like it will not happen because of a Court Order in Bayelsa.
That Order has restrained the Football Congress from holding its meeting to put Machinery in Place for the Election.
But after some Concerned Congress-Men met with those that took the matter to Court, they agreed to discontinue the case in order for the Congress to hold its Meeting.
Now, the question is what is stopping the NFF board from calling Congress?
The Answer to this Question has given Credence to a lot of rumors going on behind the scene and the Body Language of NFF President Amanju Pinnick has not helped matters.
Pinnick looks very reluctant to call Congress even after those that went to court have discontinued the case.
Pinnick’s recent Press Statement further buttressed all the rumors flying around because he kept mute on the Third Term Ambition and he also gave what many Legal Experts have called laughable and lame Excuses on why Congress has still not been called.
Pinnick said the Bayelsa Court is yet to communicate to their Lawyers that the two Cases in Court have been discontinued and once this is done Congress will be called.
One of those that went to Court, Victor Baribote, who is also a Lawyer, said Pinnick is now playing to the gallery with his latest excuse.
He said they as the Plaintiffs in the case have written to the Court and to all Parties that the Matter has been discontinued so for Pinnick to now be waiting for the Court to write them before they will hold the Congress is the Height of Deceit.
Many followers of Nigerian believe this latest move from the NFF President has further shown clearly that there is something Pinnick is not telling Nigerians but only he and his Sympathizers know about.
So can we say Pinnick might have lost the Confidence of the same Congressmen that gave him the mandate to head Nigeria Football for Eight Years, hence, the reason for not wanting to call a Congress?
Couple with the fact that he wants to still contest for a Third Term in a desperate move to still cling to Power after all the Media-Wash that he is not interested in.
In all of these, My take is this; Amanju Pinnick should behave like a Real Man and say it boldly that he wants to still contest for a third term in office.
Because the Truth be told and it should be on Record that if Nigeria Football is plunged into a new round of Crises, we should know who to hold responsible and not the Sports Minister or other Stakeholders.
If truly Pinnick is not nursing a silent third-term ambition, his body language should be tilting towards overseeing a Smooth Transition to a New Board in September, but the opposite is what we see and hear.
We hear, that he has even written to CAF and FIFA telling them why there wouldn’t be an Election in September, against President Muhammadu Buhari’s Directives.
We also learned he has started telling FIFA all sorts concerning the Sports Minister, Sunday Dare, to pave way for upcoming Letters that the Nigerian Government is interfering in the affairs of the NFF.
Once again, I will advise the NFF President to finish his tenure Peacefully and leave now that the ovation is loudest, and if the NFF Position is too sweet to leave, let him come out with his full chest to say he wants to run for a third term.
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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