Sports
Heartland, Abia Warriors to play Home Fixtures in Aba
Heartland of Owerri and Abia Warriors of Umuahia have in separate letters to the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) nominated the Enyimba International Stadium as their alternate home ground for the rest of the 2023/24 season.
This is a sequel to the withdrawal of the provisional approval for their home grounds during the club licensing exercise at the start of the season.
The NPFL had in separate letters dated January 16, 2024, to the two clubs, conveyed its discomfort with the state of the playing pitches at the Dan Anyiam Stadium in Owerri for Heartland and the Umuahia Township Stadium for Abia Warriors.
“The decision is a result of the poor condition of the playing pitch at the Umuahia Township Stadium.In light of this, we kindly request that Abia Warriors promptly identify and provide an alternate home ground for the remaining matches of the season”, read the letter to Abia Warriors and signed by Davidson Owumi, the Chief Operating Officer. A similar letter was also sent to Heartland.
The two clubs in separate replies have now elected to play at the neighbouring Enyimba International Stadium, home ground of Enyimba FC.
While their choices have been accepted by the NPFL, fixtures are to be rearranged to accommodate hosting of three league games at the Aba Stadium.
Owumi told NPFL Media that “we have a mechanism for continuous appraisal of Club Licensing requirements and at any point we find any club defaulting, appropriate remedial measures would be taken”.
Owumi added that a further inspection of the facilities would be carried out before the weekend to ascertain if there has been improvements from what they were at the time of last assessment.
The NPFL season went on mid-season recess after Matchday 19 on. January 20 and will resume on the weekend of February 3-4.
Sports
No crisis in NAWIS ahead of AFN elections on Monday
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.
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