Sports
Football First: Barrister Seyi Akinwunmi ticking all the boxes for NFF President
“I’m from the north and I have endorsed Seyi. NFF affairs have never been an issue or politics of where anyone comes from. It’s about competence and my conscience tells me that Seyi is eminently an outstanding personality that can take Nigerian football to where we all all desire.”
This was former Sokoto State FA Chairman and one Nigerian football’s greatest voices, Mallam Danladi Bako, introducing Barrister Seyi Akinwunmi (BSA) to the audience at the recent official launch of Akinwunmi manifesto and campaign to lead Nigerian football.
Mallam Bako pulled no punches in explaining why he feels BSA is the right man to succeed Amaju Pinnick, and take Nigeria football to greater heights with a holistic approach and professional execution.
“Seyi is one man we respect so much,” he continued. “That is why the who is who in Nigerian football came to grace his declaration. Those who decide our fate in Nigerian football, the congressmen are present here. They have a choice to make whenever the time comes as to who they endorse but by me being present here, it has given support to Seyi.”
Mallam Bako further made the point to underline the spirit in which football unifies Nigeria, and what support of BSA means. “If I and those of us who don’t want to bring politics of region and ethnicity into the elections are supporting him, what else? What goes around will come around. Once upon a time you had Alhaji Galadima, followed by Sani Lulu followed by Aminu Maigari. One stretch of three chairmen from the North, so why didn’t you complain at that time? So if you follow my drift I am looking for the merit and the best material.”
As the date for election of NFF President, vice Presidents and other executive committee members on 30th September draws near, most football stakeholders and observers seem to consider BSA the front runner and almost certain of the top job in Nigerian football – if the outcome were based solely on merit.
Akinwunmi, the incumbent Lagos State Football Association (LSFA) Chairman, has a reputation for focusing on grassroots and schools football, with his Seyi Akinwunmi Charity Foundation offering scholarships to indigent kids – as well as running LSFA increasingly as a commercial enterprise.
His tenure has seen LSFA introduce Nigerian football as a key part of the global football business in the 21st century. In 2012, the LSFA organized Soccerex West Africa, the first time the sports business forum came to this part of the world outside South Africa
Akinwunmi also led a rebrand of football in Lagos by creating a commercial brand for LSFA, ekoFootball, an entity that drove corporate partnerships through active stakeholder engagement, sound business propositions, and solid governance.
What makes BSA the standout candidate – and demonstrates him walking the walk of his Football First vision – is his record in schools football and youth development at LSFA.
The Lagos State Youth Football League remains the most vibrant across the country. As NFF 1st Vice President, Akinwunmi led the Zenith Bank under-13 national team project; while also steering through the adoption of the Channels Kids Cup by the NFF as a protected tournament.
Most informed observers seem to be of the view that the scope, depth and innovation of BSA at the helm of LSFA make him a very strong merit based contender.
As a long standing corporate lawyer with over 30 years of experience, Akinwunmi would also bring integrity to the office, along with the analytical mind to cut through to the most important issues. He is a man who gets things done in football.
Add to this his quiet but impactful work in his area of responsibility in the outgoing executive team – youth development; and it is easy to see why Akinwunmi is widely believed to be the most competent man for the job.
His colourful declaration event was graced by FA Chairmen from all the geo-political zones, other NFF Congress members, retired internationals, football administrators, representatives of corporate Nigeria, and a myriad of members of the Nigerian football family who BSA has helped over the years.
The audience composition, glowing endorsements, and reception to his well articulated strategy for Nigerian football all point to his early lead.
Certainly this reflects a general desire in football circles to restore the dignity of real Nigerian football culture. This is in line with the Federal Government’s recently published position on how Nigerians want their number one sport to be managed and projected.
Mallam Bako, who has a long standing exposure to and experience of football and its administration in Nigeria explained the characteristics we need at the apex of the NFF.
“I want a President that will use our money judiciously and is accountable. I want a President that will take care of all national teams without giving excuses of no money.
“I want a President who will not only attract sponsorship or engage coaches, but disclose the terms and any contract contents to Nigerians. I want a President who will reengineer Nigerian football from grassroots.
“Whoever wins this election, I beg everyone to support him… I’m very much confident that Barrister Seyi Akinwunmi will win based on his track record. Anyone who can effectively manage Lagos FA, a Lagos with over 20 million population, a population of another African country, can do very well as President of NFF. So Seyi has a lot to offer.”
Barrister Akinwunmi, is his declaration speech, made the following commitment to the Nigeria football family. “I guarantee you that as much as I love football, as much as I love my friends, one thing that is paramount in my mind is football. As much as I love and cherish the camaraderie that we share and that is football, and that must come first. Nigeria football can change, only if we put football first.”
BSA introduced his anchor four-point agenda: Infrastructure, Development, Business and Technology.
Responding to Akinwunmi’s vision for Nigerian football, Remo Stars Chairman and sports betting billionaire, Mr Kunle Soname remarked that, “football anywhere in the world has gone beyond mere rhetorics to strategic business model which is capable of engaging everyone interested, especially young people and give them meaningful life.”
He continued, “so redirecting the focus of Nigerian football is paramount if we must achieve the desired goal.”
Sports
Plateau Vipers, Benue Queens Crowned Champions at HFN North Central Division One Tourney
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.
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