Sports

Flamingos To Scale Ethiopia Hurdle To Reach India

Published

3 years ago

May 1, 2022

Nigeria’s U17 girls, Flamingos must overcome their Ethiopian counterparts to earn a ticket to this year’s FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup finals taking place in India in October.

The Coach Bankole Olowookere –tutored side defeated their hosts, Egypt’s U17 girls 2-0 in Cairo on Saturday night, with top scorer Opeyemi Ajakaiye opening the account in the 5^th minute before Aminat Omowunmi Bello added a second nine minutes later at the Petrosports Stadium, for a 6-0 aggregate win for Nigeria.

Ethiopia defeated South Africa’s U17 girls 3-0 away in Johannesburg in the first leg of their third round clash, only to lose 0-1 to the South Africans in Addis Ababa on Saturday. The Ethiopians had edged Uganda on the away goal rule in the second round, with aggregate scoreline stalemated at 3-3.

Not only are the Flamingos, who have played in every edition of the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup bar one, undefeated in this qualifying series, they are yet to concede a goal. They hammered Democratic Republic of Congo 3-0 in Kinshasa and 5-0 in Benin City, for 8-0 aggregate scoreline, before sending the Egyptians packing 6-0.

The first leg of the Nigeria/Ethiopia final round fixture will hold on 21^st May, with the second leg taking place two weeks later.

Share on Facebook

Sports

No crisis in NAWIS ahead of AFN elections on Monday

Published

8 hours ago

June 8, 2025

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The Association of Nigerian Women in Sports (NAWIS), known for its orderliness since its establishment in 1990, continues to uphold its standards ahead of the upcoming Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) elections.

With members across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, NAWIS has consistently operated without external interference.

Over the years, its members have been nominated to various boards of national sports federations after meeting established criteria, including the payment of annual dues.

The association has attracted a strong base of respected sportswomen who have served the country with distinction, both during and after their active careers.

In preparation for the AFN elections, zonal elections were conducted on June 2 and 3, producing representatives for the national exercise.

While NAWIS initially planned to hold its election in Zaria, Kaduna State, the association’s headquarters, it was later rescheduled for Abuja on Monday, June 9, following directives from higher authorities.

Importantly, NAWIS has a set of strict guidelines that govern its electoral process, particularly the requirement for timely payment of annual dues. Failure to meet this condition results in automatic disqualification.

This guideline was the basis for the disqualification of Maria Wophil, who has reportedly not paid her annual dues since 2017. Her attempt to hurriedly settle outstanding debts just before the election was deemed non-compliant with NAWIS regulations.

Who is Fatima Yusuf-Olukoju?

Commonwealth gold medallist Fatima Yusuf-Olukoju is one of the leading contenders for the NAWIS representative position in the AFN.

She made history as the first African woman to run the 400m in under 50 seconds and brought glory to Nigeria by winning a silver medal in the 4x400m relay at the Atlanta 1996 Olympics.

Yusuf-Olukoju also claimed gold in the 400m at the 1991 All-Africa Games and silver in the 200m.

Based on nominations and her track record, Yusuf-Olukoju is considered the most qualified candidate. However, three other contenders have also shown interest, and the final decision will be made in the election slated for Monday, June 9, in Abuja.

Share on Facebook