Sports

FG Charges newly inaugurated Board to develop para sports to enviable height

Published

3 years ago

July 20, 2022

Joel Ajayi
Federal government has charged the newly elected board members of para sports federations in the country to leave no stone unturned to ensure they develop para sports to an enviable height.

The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, gave this charge on Wednesday, in Abuja, when he inaugurated the board members of National Para Sports.

Mr Dare, who was represented by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Ismaila Abubakar said, constituting the new Board of National Para Sports Federations is to reinvigorate them in line with the desire of the Government to re-position sports for effective and efficient service delivery and progressive agenda for job and wealth creation for Nigerian teeming youth.

According to him, I wish to emphasize here that Sports Federations are the bedrock of National Sports Development.
“With the mantle of leadership of your Federation vested in you today, you, therefore, have the opportunity to write your names in gold by lifting your sports to enviable heights.

“It is my hope and belief that you will all use your proven integrity, knowledge and resources to render selfless and purposeful service to facilitate effective growth and development of sports in Nigeria. I implore the Federations that will be participating in the 2022 Commonwealth Games to go for the gold and make Nigeria proud.”

However, the Para Sports Federations inaugurated include: Amputee Football, Para-Athletics, Para Powerlifting, Para Swimming and Para Soccer, while election into the Sitting Volleyball postponed due to some hitches.

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Sports

NLO’s Shola Ogunowo Earns Praise for Driving Grassroots Football and Exemplifying Integrity

Published

4 hours ago

June 7, 2025

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The Nigerian football community has lauded Mr. Shola Ogunowo, Chief Operating Officer of the Nationwide League One (NLO), for his unwavering commitment to integrity and the development of grassroots football, earning him widespread respect and admiration across the sporting landscape.

In a statement released in Abuja and signed by Okechukwu Okebugwu, Mr. Ogunowo was praised as a transformative leader who has redefined the ethics and standards of football administration at the grassroots level. According to the release, Ogunowo has emerged as a “leading figure in the fight against match-fixing, bribery, and all forms of corruption” that have plagued the lower tiers of Nigerian football for decades.

Through consistent enforcement of transparency, fairness, and accountability, Mr. Ogunowo is steering the NLO toward becoming a credible platform where talent can be discovered and nurtured based on merit, rather than manipulation or favoritism.

“In an environment where shortcuts and compromises are all too common, Shola Ogunowo has remained a pillar of integrity,” Okebugwu stated. “He is restoring credibility to grassroots football by ensuring that fair play, discipline, and professionalism are non-negotiable.”

Since taking over as COO, Ogunowo has spearheaded a number of structural reforms aimed at instilling discipline and operational excellence among participating clubs. These include stricter licensing requirements, performance audits, and compliance monitoring to ensure clubs uphold the league’s code of conduct. His administration has also emphasized youth development, with a renewed focus on coaching education and player welfare.

The result is a reinvigorated Nationwide League One that is beginning to attract renewed attention from fans, corporate sponsors, and local communities. Observers say Ogunowo’s leadership is helping reshape perceptions of grassroots football—not just as a stepping stone to the elite leagues, but as a vital foundation for the future of Nigerian football.

“His leadership is not only impacting the pitch—it’s rebuilding trust, creating real value, and setting a good standard for sports administration in Nigeria,” Okebugwu concluded.

As the NLO season progresses, many stakeholders believe that with figures like Shola Ogunowo at the helm, the future of grassroots football in Nigeria is not only secure, but promising.

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