Sports
From Power Sector to Sports Icon, Engr. Ciroma Joseph Unveiled as KUGA 2025 Ambassador
By Joel Ajayi
As excitement mounts for the maiden edition of the Kingdom Unity Games Abuja (KUGA) 2025, organizers have officially unveiled Engineer Ciroma Joseph as the Ambassador of the faith-inspired sports event, bringing together his legacy in engineering with a passion for youth development through sports.
The Kingdom Unity Games, scheduled to take place from September 6–13, 2025, at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja, is a faith-based sporting initiative aimed at promoting peace, discipline, spiritual growth, and youth empowerment across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and neighboring states.
Though best known for his distinguished career in the engineering and power sector, Engr. Ciroma’s transformation into a respected voice in sports development underscores the multi-dimensional impact he continues to make.
“I’m truly honored to be associated with the 2025 Kingdom Unity Games,” he said during the official unveiling ceremony on Thursday in Abuja.
“Though I come from the power sector, I’ve always championed unity, peace, and youth development. Sports is one of the most powerful tools for achieving these goals. This event isn’t just about competition—it’s about connection, inclusion, and purpose.”
A seasoned international chess player and former Secretary of the Nigerian NEPA/PHCN Chess Association, Engr. Ciroma recalled his efforts in organizing chess tournaments that fostered camaraderie among staff from across Nigeria’s power sector generation, transmission, and distribution arms alike.
“Even as an engineer, I’ve always had a passion for sports and youth mentorship.
“We’ve moved from the analogue age into the digital era our youth must grow with the times. KUGA gives them a platform to express themselves, grow in discipline, and find meaningful direction.”
The brand new KUGA Ambassador, Engr. Ciroma called on communities across the FCT, Nasarawa, Niger, Kogi, and beyond to come out enmass to cheer the players: “This is a historic first edition, and how we begin will shape the legacy of KUGA.
“I will be personally reaching out to my networks to ensure strong participation at the opening, closing, and every activity in between.”
He also praised the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, the official venue, noting its capacity to host large-scale events and accommodate diverse audiences.
Engr. Ciroma thanked government for investing in sport urging them to keep investing in programs like KUGA adding that, Sports remain a powerful antidote to insecurity and youth restiveness.
Also speaking at the unveiling ceremony, the Convener of KUGA 2025 Ambassador Solomon Omonokhua emphasized that the event goes beyond athletics.
“KUGA is about discovery, unity, and purpose. We are focused on identifying talented youths within churches and across communities who might otherwise go unnoticed. This platform will expose them to scouts and professional opportunities—both locally and internationally.”
Ambassador Omonokhua further stressed the inclusive and interfaith nature of the Games.
“Although rooted in the Christian community, KUGA welcomes everyone Christians, Muslims, and others. It is a platform for national cohesion and collaboration through sport.”
However, the maiden edition will feature three core disciplines, all geared toward mass participation and talent discovery:
Football: 24 male teams representing churches from five major Christian blocs; Basketball: 16 teams—both male and female and Volleyball: 16 teams—male and female categories.
Ambassador Omonokhua concluded by reaffirming the organizing team’s commitment to delivering a world-class experience that blends faith, fun, and future-building for Nigeria’s youth.
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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