Sports

FG Urges Youth To Utilise Sports Facilities For Self Development

Published

4 years ago

October 20, 2022

The Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr. Sunday Dare has called on youth in the country to take advantage of the sporting facilities provided at the grassroots to develop their budding talents so as to enable them compete favourably with their counterparts across the globe.

The Minister made the call today during the official Commissioning of a 500 capacity Mini Stadium in Ode-Aremo, Oyo State.
According to him, the facility being commissioned today, comprises a football pitch, two block of public toilets, borehole with overhead tank and water reticulation as well as solar street light.

He stated further that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration, has in the last seven years, committed much resources into the rehabilitation of moribund sporting facilities as well as building of new ones across the country.

Dare added that this is aimed at engaging the nation’s over 60 per cent youth population so as to provide them with the opportunity to explore their sporting skills with a view to making themselves and the country proud.

“We have over 100 sporting facilities built by government across the country but because of lack of good maintenance culture, more than 85% of them are completely bad, but now, we have seen the return of many of our stadia back to life’, he said.

The Minister explained that today’s event is significant because of the drive and the passion behind it, noting that with the commitment of the present administration to sports development, the Ministry has turned what used to be a dump site into a Metropolitan Community Sporting Arcade.

‘
He therefore charged the Community Leaders to ensure proper management of the Mini Stadium by engaging the services of capable facilty managers who will account for its Management.

Earlier in his opening remarks, the House of Representative member, representing Afijio, Atiba, Oyo East and West Constituency, Hon. Akeem Adeyemi, thanked the present administration for providing capable leadership through the Ministry in making the over 500 capacity Mini Stadium, a dream come true.

He commended the Honourable Minister, top Management Staff of the Ministry and President Muhammadu Buhari Administration in particular, for their commitment to sports development through ensuring timely release of funds towards the completion of the project, assuring that it will be immediately handed over to the community for use.

Share on Facebook

Sports

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

Published

7 hours 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.

Share on Facebook