Sports

Esports in Nigeria Reaches New Heights—A Moment to Remember

Published

1 year ago

May 26, 2025

By Joel Ajayi

As the curtain falls on what will be remembered as a landmark moment in Nigerian sports history, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who made the first-ever Esports Demonstration at the National Sports Festival a resounding success.
For the first time ever, Esports took center stage at the Festival.

What was once considered a distant possibility has now become a powerful reality—witnessed, celebrated, and competed in by some of Nigeria’s brightest gaming talents.

We are deeply grateful to the individuals and institutions who not only embraced this moment but elevated it. What began with a modest prize pool of ₦2 million was generously increased to ₦10 million—a clear testament to the growing belief that Esports matters.

Our sincere appreciation goes to:
The Chairman of the National Sports Commission, who contributed ₦4 million.

The Director General of the National Sports Commission, who contributed ₦3 million
The Director General of the Lagos State Sports Commission, who added ₦1 million

Their combined support transformed ambition into impact.

We also celebrate two outstanding champions:
John Okan, representing Lagos, who emerged victorious in the EAFC title, taking home ₦1.5 million

Shehu Mansur, representing the FCT, who claimed the top spot in Street Fighter, also winning ₦1.5 million

To both, and to every competitor who showed up with skill, passion, and hunger—thank you. You’ve made history.

But this is only the beginning. The Esports Federation is already working on a long-term sustainability and grassroots development strategy to ensure that what has been built here does not fade after the spotlight, but instead grows deeper roots. This plan will be unveiled in collaboration with our media partners and stakeholders in the coming weeks.

To the Federal Government of Nigeria, thank you for believing in innovation, youth potential, and the promise of a digital future. Your support is not only recognized—it is deeply appreciated.

To our friends in the media, we look forward to welcoming you to Lagos Games Week, kicking off on June 19th.

There’s more to unveil, more to celebrate, and even more to build—together. It promises to be another bold chapter in the evolution of Nigeria’s video games landscape.

Nigeria has spoken. Esports is here—and it’s only going up from here.

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Sports

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

Published

1 hour 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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