Sports

How I Learnt to Dine with Elders — NSC DG’s Special Assistant, Kola Daniel

Published

8 months ago

February 7, 2026

Director-general of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Honourable Bukola Olopade’s special assistant on media, Kola Daniel says he has worked successfully with many top shots because he learnt how to wash his hands and eat with elders.

Although he admitted that being the D.G’s image maker entails a lot of responsibilities, Daniel added in an exclusive interview with Sports247 that the peps of office make it enjoyable.

He further noted that the experience he gained working under many media gurus in various organisations since 2004 prepared him for the task he is currently engaged in.

Having also previously worked with former minister of sports, Chief Sunday Dare, before joining Honourable Olopade’s aides, gave him a better understanding of what is expected of him.

“I can’t mix professionalism with pleasure, and I can’t mix it with my personal interest. When I want to write an official press statement, I have to be principled. I have to do my job and I have to do it effectively.

“My best day was the first time I flew in a private jet with Honourable Sunday Dare. We had to go out of the shore of this country and were only four in the private jet.

“I said to myself, ‘Wow! This is how life is sweet.’ Before you knew it, I started flying in private jets here and there all the time,” Daniel recounted.

He concluded with a look at some of the assets he is naturally endowed with, which help him work effectively under pressure, as well as his understanding of how to respect people in authority.

Daniel pointed out, “I’ve been able to come this far courtesy of my writing skills and always knowing how to show good manners.

“A Yoruba expression says, ‘When a child knows how to wash his hands, he will eat with elders.’ That’s my story and it has become part of me. It’s all by the power of God.”

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Sports

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

Published

8 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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