Sports

FOSLA Academy Will Be Bigger Than Arsenal If….Sani Lulu

Published

5 years ago

April 21, 2021

…FOSLA has put Karshi Community in the map of sporting world -Emir

Joel Ajayi

The Founder and Proprietor of FOSLA Academy, Alhaji Sani Lulu Abdullahi has expressed that, with the support from the government and all Nigerians, the FOSLA football academy will be bigger than Arsenal football club or any big club in the World.

Former NFF football President stated this on Wednesday in Karshi, Abuja when the Sarkin Karshi HRH Alhaji Muhammed Ismaila hosted the Champions of the 2021 National Principal cup Competition, Fosla Academy in his palace.

According to him, It is a great feat, getting to this point we have several challenges, several issues that naturally would have frustrated us out of the system but we are dogged and focused and this is the reward of patience and hard work.

“Like I said, it is a rare feat, I don’t have up to 150 students in the school but they were playing against schools that have more than 4000 students because we are really working hard to put sporting curriculum.

“We are encouraged that we have a base that should be supported by them, we all know the new that Dangote want to buy Arsenal FC at the international level, yes, there is no problem but I want to assure Nigerians that with great men like Dangote, if they can come to invest in the club like FOSLA, I am very sure we are going to do far better than the Arsenal or any team in the world. If they invest in our schools, based on my passion, vision, collective support of Nigerians, Nigeria will be a place where people will come to fish for players.”

He, however, called on well-meaning Nigerian to come and support the school that combined academic with football skill development saying that over 70% of students of the school are on scholarship. “We need to partner not only with government, private sector, and all well-meaning Nigerian, that is what is important.”

In his addressed, His Royal Majesty, Emir of the Karshi Community in the Federal Capital Territory, Alhaji Muhammed Ismaila lauded the FOSLA academy for putting the community in the map of the sporting world within the shortest period of time.

“I am very proud of FOSLA and I will continue to support the school as a community because the school, FOSLA Academy have put our small village in the map of the sporting world.

“The boys have been able to achieve this feat as the first team to win the maiden edition of the National principal’s cup and we do hope that most of them will go to play in the national team and one day finds themselves playing abroad.

“We also hope that FCT authorities and the federal government should support this school so, that these boys can replicate this feat in many other places in the future.

“The school is only 10 years and yet, it has been able to win this cup among all the schools that are even older.

He, therefore, charged the players to always remember their humble beginning by coming back to the community to contribute their own quota to the development of the community which will serve as a good example to the younger generation.

On her own, the school principal Ebhodaghe Josephine Etuahi listed the endless, honours, awards and trophies that the school within the shortest period of time have won saying that the school will not relent in its struggle to attract more success to the school.

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Sports

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

Published

21 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.

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