Sports
Customs Names First Lady Remi Tinubu As ‘Grand Patron’ For 2025 African Volleyball Championship
…As CGC Adeniyi champions gender inclusion in Nigeria Customs Service
Joel Ajayi
Following the preparation to commence the long-awaited African Volleyball Tournament in April 2025, the Nigeria Customs Service has named the First Lady and wife of the President of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, as the Grand Patron of the upcoming female volleyball tournament.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, made this announcement on Friday, when he officially visited the First Lady at her office in Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja.During the engagement, CGC Adeniyi lauded the First Lady’s unwavering commitment to women’s empowerment, citing her Renewed Hope Initiative, which has positively impacted education, healthcare, and economic empowerment for women, youth, and vulnerable groups. He noted that her leadership has inspired institutional reforms across various sectors, including the Nigeria Customs Service.
The CGC highlighted the Service’s investment in women’s sports, noting that its volleyball team has won the Volleyball Premier League in 2018, 2022, and 2024, as well as the Confederation of Africa Zone 3 Volleyball Championship in 2018 and 2019. He expressed confidence that the First Lady’s presence at the championship would boost athletes’ morale.
“Your Excellency, in recognition of your exemplary leadership and advocacy for women’s advancement, we humbly request that you honour us by serving as the Grand Patron of this momentous event.
Your presence at the official opening ceremony would immeasurably elevate the significance of this championship and inspire our athletes to even greater heights”, CGC Adeniyi said.
Beyond sports, the CGC emphasised the Service’s commitment to gender balance, highlighting the appointment of women to strategic leadership positions, including Excise and Free Trade Zones, Tariff and Trade, and ICT/Modernization Departments.
He further acknowledged the contributions of female officers leading critical initiatives such as the Corporate Social Responsibility ,CSR, Programme, Single Window project, and Authorised Economic Operator Programme, which have significantly modernised Customs operations.
“Following Your Excellency’s inspiring example, we are actively implementing policies that provide equal opportunities for women to express themselves and excel in our Service. Today, women hold critical leadership positions and drive key modernisation efforts”, CGC Adeniyi added.
However, he reaffirmed the Service’s commitment to promoting women’s participation in leadership and sports, pledging continued support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the First Lady’s vision for gender inclusion in national development.
Responding, First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu accepted the offer, emphasising that women must continue to take up spaces in all spheres of life.
“I accepted this offer and I keep telling women, there’s always a space for you. There’s a space for you. Nobody’s asking you not to amount to anything. You just have to work more”, the First Lady said.
She further called on Nigerian female star athletes who have made names abroad to return home and inspire the next generation, urging figures like Tobi Amusan and others to actively mentor young girls in sports.
“These are role models for our girls, but don’t go out and just be popular there. They should come and encourage other girls. I want them to do that because it matters a lot. When God gives you a platform, you are not just standing for yourself, you are standing for millions of other women”, Senator Oluremi added.
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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