Sports
Athletes Abandon Their States For Delta, To seek Greener Pastures-Anaegu
The Chairman, Media sub- committee of LOC and Delta State Commissioner for Information, Charles Aniagwu, has revealed that the creation of enabling environment for athletes to realize their God-given talent and athlete’s quest for better and greener pastures, was reason why many athletes abandoned their state to represent Delta state in any tournament.
He stated this in an exclusive interview on Kiss FM on Tuesday, in Asaba, at the ongoing 2022 National Sports Festival saying, the state didn’t poach any athletes to represent Delta, but athletes run to the state for greener pastures.
He expressed that, sports is indegene of Delta state and home of sports in Nigeria is no other place than Delta state.
When asked why Delta state poached athletes to compete against their state of Origin in different Sports? He replied with smile: “Have you heard of greener pasture? People will always look for where the pasture is greener.
“Here is Delta, apart from the fact that we provide enabling environment for athletes to get trained , we equally encourage them to continue to participate in all competitions, so it’s not question of just money.
“If you are used to English Premiership, players navigate to the team that will take care of their welfare so when you see people leaving their state and coming to Delta state, its not just about money alone, it’s because of the enabling environment provided for them to realize their God-given potentials.
“We have said it, sports is indegene of Delta state, it’s not a joke, Sports lives in Delta state, the time you see sports elsewhere it’s on sabbatical, it always return home.
“We have enough facilities for athletes to grow and we have prepared enough for no other state to even win a single Gold, but for the sake of brotherliness, that is why we allow other states to win some. Delta state is home of sports.” He said.
He, however, commended President Muhammadu Buhari, the Minister of Youth and Sports Sunday Dare, Delta state Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa as well as various stakeholders for their support and encouragement to ensure NSF fiesta see the light of the day.
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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