Sports
MALLAM SHEHU DIKKO BOUNCES BACK IN GRAND STYLE AS PRESIDENT BOLA TINUBU HANDS OVER THE COUNTRY”S SPORTS TO ONE OF NIGERIA’S FINEST SPORTS BRAINS
By Micheal Obasi
The Name MALLAM SHEHU DIKKO is a familiar name in the corridors of Nigerian Sports, especially football.
The Kaduna State born administrator is unarguably one of the brightest brains in the Country when it comes to comprehensive knowledge of Sports both locally and internationally.
So the news of his appointment as the Chairman of the newly created National Sports Commission, a body that is now saddled with overseeing the country’s Sports landscape, after the scrapping of the Ministry of Sports, comes as a massive news in the Sports sector that fueled wild celebrations.
Mallam SHEHU DIKKO has always been very passionate about the Growth of the Country’s Sports both from Talent enhancement to infrastructural improvement.
His Wealth of experience and clout from the Private sector and his international Sporting contacts and connections are second to none and this will be very pivotal in the new direction Nigerian Sports will be headed in the coming months.
I am personally very happy for the former NFF Vice President who was also the Chairman of the Nigerian League under the nomenclature, the League Management Company, LMC, because his immeasurable value to Nigerian Sports can now finally be maximised as the man now driving Nigeria Sports.
Mallam Shehu DIKKO is not your regular Nigerian Politician but more of an astute administrator who understands how to bridge the gap between the Private sector and Public sector .
He knows that the biggest challenge facing the growth of Sports in Nigeria is funding and if there is one man who holds the aces on how funds can be generated from the Private sector is Mallam DIKKO.
He is a top notch marketing guru who understands the language of the Private sector and the various Sporting Federations in the country will surely be better for it.
Without a doubt, Nigeria Sports can never be the same again with Mallam DIKKO at the helm.
The appointment of DIKKO is even coming at the right time for both Nigeria Football and the entire Sports at large.
It’s a massive boost for Nigeria football that a former NFF Vice President is now in charge of the Country’s Sports.A man who knows the NFF like he knows his name.
And for the Country’s sports, his appointment is coming at a time where Nigeria just returned from a disappointing outing at the 2024 Olympics Games and has adequate time to plan for the next one in four years time.
It is surely an exciting time for Nigeria Sports and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu”s Renewed Hope mantra is just about to have a Sports face.
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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