Sports
Ex Super Eagles Striker John Utaka Hails Senator Sani Musa on his Youth, Sports Development
Former Super Eagles Striker and Montpellier HSC Youth coach John Chukwudi Utaka has commended Senator Mohammed Sani Musa for hosting the victorious John Utaka Academy boys at his place in Abuja.
Utaka expressed profound appreciation to the Senator for hosting the boys despite his busy schedule saying he is one of the few senators in the country that has shown immense interest in youth of this country.
“I don’t know how thank him because this means so much to me and the boys, finding time to host and Identify with the boys at this critical time in our political history when others would have shelved meeting with the boys for other things they think is more important.”
Based in Niger State Nigeria, the John Utaka Football Academy is known for producing young talents for the age grade teams in the country as well as projecting the players to big clubs across the world.
John Utaka Academy, JUFA won the Niger State Football Association League and recently went on tour of France where they played against youth teams of Ligue 1 side.
Sports
Tinubu, Fashola, Governors, UNESCO, Sports Leaders to Headline National Grassroots Sports Summit
Joel Ajayi
The stage is being set for a landmark gathering at the Presidential Villa as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former Lagos State Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, and leading figures from government, sports administration and international development feature in the proposed opening-day programme of the National Grassroots Sports Development Summit 2026.
In a statement signed by Thursday by the Chairperson Media Sub-com National Grassroot Sports Summit Dr. (Mrs.) Kehinde Ajayi stated that, the two-day Summit, scheduled for November 18–19, 2026, at the Banquet Hall, State House, Presidential Villa, Abuja, is being organized by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Grassroots Sports Development, Hon. Adeyinka Anthony Adeboye.
With the theme “Creating a New Pathway for Sustainable Grassroots Sports Development,” the gathering seeks to produce practical solutions to Nigeria’s longstanding challenges in talent discovery, infrastructure, funding, coaching and athlete development.
The opening day, Wednesday, November 18, promises high-level engagement, with President Tinubu listed as Special Guest of Honour, while Fashola is scheduled to deliver a keynote address.
Also featuring in the Day One programme is Dr. Tayo Aduloju, Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), whose organization has been engaged as technical partner to help translate discussions into a workable development roadmap.
Other personalities and institutions on the opening-day lineup include the Chairman and Director-General of the National Sports Commission, Mallam Shehu Dikko and Hon. Bukola Olopade; the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum; the President of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON); and the Head of Office and UNESCO Representative to Nigeria.
Also listed are Barrister Enitan Oshodi, President of the African Table Tennis Federation; the President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee; and Dr. Musa Nakorji of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Research Department.
The involvement of these personalities reflects the Summit’s emphasis on connecting sports development with economic planning, education, grassroots governance, international cooperation and private-sector investment.
Adeboye described the gathering as an opportunity to move Nigerian sports beyond isolated achievements towards a coordinated national development system.
“The real question is not whether Nigeria has sporting talent.
We know we have talent in abundance. The question is how we build a system that discovers, nurtures and supports that talent consistently, from our communities and schools to the international stage,” he said.
He stressed that the participation of state governments, local councils, development institutions and sports administrators would be critical to producing lasting outcomes.
The Summit will continue on Thursday, November 19, with further stakeholder engagements aimed at developing actionable recommendations for sustainable grassroots sports development with preparations intensifying, organizers are confident that the gathering will provide a defining platform for strengthening the foundation of Nigerian sports and expanding opportunities for young people nationwide.
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