Sports

Cricket: NCF Pledges More Growth Set Up 2026 Top 3 Playing Nation In the World

Published

3 years ago

November 6, 2023

Joel Ajayi

Nigeria Cricket Federation NCF has said that the federation is more determined to bring more initiatives, innovation, and needed awareness that will further propel the game of cricket in the country and beyond.

President of NCF, Uyi Akpata gave this assurance at the “Annual General Meeting (AGM) and full Council meeting of 2023” at the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja where the stakeholders converged and discussed the development of the game at large.

Developmental Issues discussed includes the development of coaches, and umpire, creating more awareness that will further increase the number of cricket lover in the country, and grassroots programs amongst other.

He expressed that the federation will continue to work hard to have a better future in the sport in the continent and the world, saying that the federation’s target is to be one of the top three cricket-playing countries in Africa by 2026.

Speaking on the progress of the national team and some achievements so far, Akpata said the two teams (male and female) gave a good account of themselves by making the country proud in their recent outing.

According to him as a federation and board, we will continue to work hard to see our dream come truth

The aim of the federation is that in 2026 Nigeria will be among the best countries in the continent and at the global level.

“We also won an invitational championship In April, we also the West Africa Trophy,

“We have moved from 38 to 28 rank, we move 10 steps ahead in the world, we just moved a step up from number eight in Africa to number seven.

Akpata who has contributed immensely to the growth of Cricket in the last two years optimistic that with the level of exposure and preparation, the female team will participate in the World Cup qualifier saying that, Nigeria stands a very good chance for female qualifying for the ICC T20 world cup.

Meanwhile, close to 70 stakeholders were present at the AGM delegates from 37 states and 10 board members, we came to realign with the development of the Sports

“We had two sessions, one session was an open session where we met to reinforce our strategy and get input from the various stakeholders.

“The second segment was a formal Annual General Meeting (AGM) in line with our constitutional obligations,” he said.

He however applauded all members for honouring the annual general meeting and urged them to leave no stone unturned toward the growth of the game

“The players, coaches, umpires, board members, stakeholders everybody has a role to play to achieve this dream that must come to reality.”

Under the leadership of the Akpata, Nigerian Cricket has witnessed some level of development to give a good future for the game as national teams have made some positive progress in their games.

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Sports

Plateau Vipers, Benue Queens Crowned Champions at HFN North Central Division One Tourney

Published

20 hours ago

October 3, 2026

The Gleamer

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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