Sports

Excitement as Flying Officers Cup Billboards floods Abuja Ahead Of Kick-Off

Published

5 years ago

October 6, 2021

Joel Ajayi

A blitz of brightly coloured billboards of the biggest Pre-season Championship in Africa, the Flying Officers Cup has perked up the city of Abuja ahead of the Kick-Off of the Women’s Football Championship.

As the tournament draws closer, the Organisers are gearing up their preparations for the football fiesta. Abuja, the host city have been spruced up for the tournament as about six (6) billboards mounted at strategic locations across the city have spurred up excitement amongst football lovers.

Some of the locations include Jabi, by Grand Cubana Hotel Junction, Gwarinpa by Chambian Plaza, IBB Way, Maitama, opposite El-Amin international School, Garki, Area 11, by Automated Car-wash, Utako Market by Arab junction and Defense Headquarters Junction.

Ratels Sports Development Foundation President, Barrister Paul Edeh said the billboards were mounted at strategic positions in Abuja to make the people catch up with the fun and excitement that has to do with the competition.

The competition billed to Kick-Off on Sunday, the 10th of October will see 16 teams including a team from Ghana and Benin Republic battle for honours at the Area 10 Sports Complex, Abuja and Edeh noted that the reactions from the Abuja Football Lovers on the competition has been overwhelming.

“We have worked so hard over the last few weeks to get this done almost perfectly, the Area 10 Sports Complex is under renovation and it’s almost 100% done.

“Most particularly, am glad we have been able to get positive reactions from football lovers across the city on the billboards placed in various strategic locations in Abuja. The Flying Officers Cup is not just a competition, it is more like a Football fiesta.

“Teams that are coming for the Championship are guaranteed a very hospitable reception and would have a very conducive environment to thrive and develop as a team before the start of the new season.

“We are ready for the tournament and waiting for the team’s arrival.” He concluded.

Flying Officers Cup 2021 is the third edition of the women football Pre-season Championship in honour of the late Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile.

Edo Queens and Bayelsa Queens are the past winners of the tournament.

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Sports

Tinubu, Fashola, Governors, UNESCO, Sports Leaders to Headline National Grassroots Sports Summit

Published

18 hours ago

October 29, 2026

The Gleamer

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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