Sports
Fun and Excitement as Command Secondary School Suleja Holds Inter-House Sports Competition
…Vows to Strengthen Student Development Through Sports
By Bisi Oyebanji
Students of Command Secondary School Suleja thrilled spectators with their outstanding performances at the 7th edition of the annual Inter-House Sports Competition, held at the school premises in Suleja, Niger State.
The colorful event featured a variety of track and field activities, drawing students, teachers, parents, principals, traditional rulers, and other distinguished guests.
A major highlight of the competition was the march past, which showcased the students’ discipline, teamwork, and coordination.
Speaking at the 2025 edition of the competition, the Chairman of the occasion and the school’s pioneer Commandant, Major General M.M. Bunza (rtd.), reaffirmed the management’s commitment to student development through sports, as the school successfully hosted its 7th Inter-House Sports Competition.
He emphasized that the event provided a platform for students to showcase their athletic talents while fostering essential values such as teamwork, resilience, discipline, and fair play.
Highlighting the critical role of sports in shaping students’ character and preparing them for future challenges, Major General Bunza stated: “Command Secondary School Suleja has continuously instilled these virtues in its students. Sporting activities are among the many initiatives designed to develop resilience, teamwork, and determination in them. Today’s event is not just a competition; it is an opportunity for students to display their talents and hone their psychomotor skills.”
He further stressed that physical fitness enhances mental preparedness, helping students navigate academic challenges effectively.
“A physically fit student is also mentally prepared to handle academic challenges. Events like this reinforce the culture of physical fitness among students, which is crucial to their overall development.”
Commending the Commandant and the entire staff, Major General Bunza applauded their dedication to nurturing students into responsible and resourceful citizens. He urged them to remain committed to ensuring that the school continues to produce disciplined, intellectually sound, and physically fit future leaders.
In his address, the Commandant of Command Secondary School Suleja, Lt. Col. R. Aliyu, reiterated that the Annual Inter-House Sports Competition serves as a platform for fostering unity among participants and spectators, bringing people from diverse backgrounds together.
“Sports are one of the key domains recognized in education—cognitive, affective, and psychomotor. At Command Secondary School Suleja, we focus on developing all three aspects to ensure our students grow intellectually, build strong character, and maintain physical fitness.”
He reaffirmed the school’s commitment to identifying and nurturing sporting talents among students, while maintaining high academic standards.
“As the saying goes, ‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.’ This year, we have once again gathered in pursuit of sporting excellence, with this edition being an improvement on the previous ones. We are here to showcase talent and skills, to compete in sports—not in conflict.”
The Commandant commended the Central Organizing Committee and Sub-Committees for their dedication in planning the event, ensuring it had a meaningful impact on students’ overall development.
With this renewed commitment to sports, Command Secondary School Suleja continues to foster a culture of excellence, discipline, and teamwork, preparing students for future success in both academics and athletics.
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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