Sports
House of Reps Revives Grassroots Sports with Distribution of Kits and Sportswear to All 360 Federal Constituencies
By Joel Ajayi
In a renewed effort to revive grassroots sports and promote youth engagement across Nigeria, the House of Representatives has flagged off the distribution of sporting equipment to members of its sports Committee, targeting all 360 federal constituencies.
The initiative, launched on Wednesday in Abuja, is a collaboration between the House Committee on Sports and the National Sports Commission. It aims to support talent discovery and youth participation through the provision of essential sports kits including football boots, jerseys, and training gear.
Speaking at the event, the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, urged lawmakers to redirect their constituency funds towards sports development at the grassroots level, instead of projects that are often left uncompleted.
“It is unacceptable that a country of over 230 million people returns from global competitions without medals, while much smaller nations succeed,” Abbas lamented. “To reclaim our sporting greatness, we must return to grassroots and developmental sports.”
He criticized the proliferation of abandoned skill acquisition centres and called on legislators to invest instead in community-level sports infrastructure and programmes, which he described as powerful tools for youth empowerment.
Commending the House Committee on Sports for its proactive efforts, the Speaker hailed the distribution exercise as unprecedented. “This is the first time I am seeing the Sports Committee match expectations in such a short period. Their performance is commendable and should serve as a model for other committees.”
In his remarks, Chairman of the Sports Committee, Hon. Kabir Amadu (Mai Palace), reaffirmed the House’s resolve to reinvigorate grassroots sports. He noted that each federal constituency will benefit from the distribution, with members expected to take the materials back to their communities.
“This gesture goes beyond symbolism. It is a practical step toward reviving youth engagement and sporting talent across Nigeria,” Amadu said. “We can’t keep lamenting the decline of grassroots sports without taking action.”
He also revealed that the next phase of the project would focus on constructing mini-stadiums across the country to complement the kits and provide long-term infrastructure for sports development.
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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