Sports

Caretaker Committee Set Up To Run Badminton In Nigeria

Published

5 years ago

October 18, 2021

The path to normalcy in the administration of badminton in Nigeria was on Monday charted as a caretaker committee was sworn-in to run the affairs of the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN). Francis Orbih will lead the caretaker committee as chairman.

The composition of the BFN as well as the in-house election of its principal officers had been stalled following a court action by one Kenneth Azuine who was not a party to the election into the board.
But on the eve of the election, just as it was for other sports federations, he got an interim court injunction stopping the electoral processes and composition of the BFN board.
With badminton in the country grounded to a halt, the Nigeria Ministry of Sports opted to set up a caretaker committee On Monday, October 18, 2021, the Permanent Secretary, Alhaji Ismaila Abubakar who stood in for the minister of sports, Sunday Dare sworn-in a 13-man caretaker committee.
In attendance were Dr. Simon Ebhojiaye, Director FEAD (Federations and elite athletes department) and Peter Nelson, the Director of the Para-Sports/ Sports Festival department.
The oath of office was administered by Foluso Akinlonu, a lawyer and Director Legal at the Sports ministry.
The non-composition of the BFN as a fallout from the legal issue was already taking its toll on the sport in the country. For instance, the 6th Lagos International Badminton Classics which is the biggest Badminton World Federation sanctioned championship in Africa had to be cancelled as the world body had no organisation to relate with in the country.
The championship which the immediate board of BFN had scheduled to run from 3rd to 6th November 2021 was shelved because of the lacuna in the running of the sport in Nigeria.
Also, Team Nigeria was withdrawn from the All Africa Senior Championship which is scheduled to take place in Uganda from 21st to 28th October 2021. This is because there is no board in place to handle preparation of the team for the event.

Another loss the country incurred owing to the non-composition of a board is the poor ranking the country’s players will have to contend with.

It is learnt that Nigeria is not in good standing with the Badminton World Federation (BWF) because the country was unable to fill and return the schedule A form for updating membership of MAs after the original deadline of 30th September and 11th October which was the extension given Nigeria to update its membership.

Filling the schedule A form entails entering details of the board.The participation of two Nigerian players who qualified for the world championship in Spain in December is also threatened as there is no board in place to handle preparation.

Owing to the cancellation of the Lagos International as well as the withdrawal of Nigeria from the All Africa Senior Championship in Uganda as a result of the absence of a board, Nigeria will lose two votes out of its voting strength during the AGM next year.

The members of the newly inaugurated Caretaker Committee of the Badminton Federation of Nigeria are Francis Orbih (Chairman), Maina Mohammed, Solaja Obiageli, Yusuf L. Bello, Shehu Sulyman Warah and Tangbe Felix Awala. The others are Tunde Kazeem, George Shitta, Etuku Tenimu, Esther Gidado, Malik Anas, Amb Yahaya Yusuf and Grace Gabriel.

The chairman of the committee, Orbih said that the setting up of the committee was a good development as it will attempt to redeem the lost ground occasioned by the lingering issues.

He told the Sports Village Square that he will abide by the counsel offered by Alhaji Ismaila Abubakar, the Permanent Secretary at the ministry that he should reach out to all stake holders to gain all lost grounds.

This he said will also include the aggrieved parties.

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Sports

AACT 2026: 31 Days to Africa’s Big Sporting Gathering in Abuja

Published

24 hours ago

October 2, 2026

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The countdown to the 2026 All Africa Challenge Trophy (AACT) has officially entered the final month, with just 31 days to go before Africa’s leading women’s team golf championship tees off at the IBB International Golf & Country Club in Abuja.

In a statement signed by the AACT 2026Director of Communication Kayode Adeniyi on Friday in Abuja.

Under the theme “Africa Is Coming to Abuja,” the countdown campaign will spotlight the championship, the participating nations, the players, the host venue and the growing development of women’s golf across the continent.

The 2026 AACT, scheduled for November 2–7, will bring together women’s golfing talent from across Africa for six days of continental competition in Nigeria’s capital.

As preparations continue at the IBB International Golf & Country Club, attention is increasingly turning to Abuja, where the championship will provide a platform for African golfers to compete while also showcasing Nigeria’s hospitality and the country’s growing profile as a destination for major sporting events.

The countdown will feature daily stories, interviews, player and country profiles, tournament facts, behind-the-scenes updates and features on the host venue as the championship draws closer.

The campaign will also highlight the role of the Ladies Golf Association of Nigeria (LGAN), the Local Organising Committee and other stakeholders in preparing for the continental championship.

With just 31 days remaining, anticipation is building across the African golfing community as Abuja prepares to welcome the continent’s leading women golfers.

Africa is coming to Abuja.

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