Sports

NCF Approves Subvention Funds To boost Grassroots Devt Across The Country

Published

3 years ago

June 4, 2023

Joel Ajayi

The Board of the Nigeria Cricket Federation has approved a quarterly subvention funds for the development of the game across the 36 states of the Federation including the FCT. Grassroots Cricket development is one of the 5 new Key Strategic pillars of development that was proposed by the Board of the NCF when they were inaugurated in October 2021.

This was contained in a statement issued by NCF’s PRO Musa Ehizoje Bodie on Sunday in Abuja.

According to the statement, the mandate from the ICC to the Nigeria Cricket Federation is to introduce 250,000 new entrants into the sports annually for which the NCF have fulfilled through her Accelerated Growth Program.

“The decision to approve the subvention fund was one of the resolutions of the Board during the Annual General Meeting in February 2022. The subvention funds are geared towards complimenting the efforts of the Federation towards achieving the goal of reaching target mark of new entrants and possibly surpassing it.

“For the execution of this program, the budget of Three Million (3,000,000) Naira has been approved with each geo-political zone receiving the sum of Five Hundred Thousand (N500,000) Naira which will be split evenly between 2 states per zone. The program will kick off with the 2 states in a region having the least Cricket development and progress to the other states with a more robust Cricket structure in the next tranche of disbursement. The total number of expected new entrants from the subvention funds is a minimum of 20,000, the North and South of Nigeria estimated to produce 10,000 each.

“According to the approval of the Board the states that will benefit in this phase include; North Central: (Kogi & Niger), North East: (Borno & Bauchi), North West: (Sokoto & Jigawa), South East: (Abia & Enugu), South-South: (Cross Rivers & Bayelsa) and South West: (Osun & Ekiti).

“States that have received the funds are expected to produce minimum of 2000 entrants each, with 12 states selected from the various zone cumulating to a total of 24,000. The program will be executed by the technical staff of the Federation and monitored by the 2 National Development Managers, the 6 Regional development Officers and Field officers that have been deployed to the various states.

“From the Secretariat through the Geographic Information System (GIS) that allows events to be tracked by specific location and in real time, the NCF Data officer will monitor the program in the various states to ensure compliance. The success of this execution will provide the basis for its review in the future.

“The focus of the Nigeria Cricket Federation to introduce 250,000 new entrants into the sport every year through the Accelerated Growth program remains a key part of grassroots development, the shared ratio in the North and South region and the structure in place will continue with the development staff already engaged for this purpose.”

Meanwhile the Board of the Federation led by President Uyi Akpata is committed to the continued growth and development of the sport in Nigeria.

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Sports

SWAN President Calls for Gender-Fair Reporting in Sports Journalism

Published

16 hours ago

October 26, 2026

The Gleamer

By Joel Ajayi

The President of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Isaiah Kemje Benjamin, has urged sports journalists to eliminate gender stereotypes and bias in their reports to promote fairness, inclusion and greater visibility for women in sports.

Benjamin made the call on Monday in Abuja while delivering a presentation titled “Gender-Sensitive Journalism: Removing Gender Stereotypes and Bias in Sports Reporting” at the Annual Women in Sports Leadership Training/Seminar for Journalists, organised by the Women Commission of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC).

He said sports journalists play a critical role in shaping public opinion, influencing athletes’ visibility and determining which achievements receive recognition, sponsorship and investment.

According to him, the way the media reports women in sports can either reinforce existing barriers or help dismantle them.

Benjamin explained that gender-sensitive journalism requires fairness, accuracy, equality and inclusion, stressing that it does not mean giving female athletes favourable coverage or shielding them from legitimate criticism.

He identified common forms of bias in sports reporting, including giving men’s competitions greater prominence, focusing on female athletes’ appearance rather than performance, defining women by their marital or family status, and questioning their competence in leadership positions.

The SWAN president urged journalists to adopt respectful language, apply consistent professional standards and extend coverage beyond national teams to domestic leagues, grassroots competitions, female coaches, referees and sports administrators.

Using Nigeria’s sporting landscape as an example, he said the achievements of the Super Falcons deserved sustained analysis beyond match results, including discussions on investment, player development, professional leagues and grassroots structures.

He also noted that digital platforms offered opportunities to expand coverage of women’s sports but warned journalists against sensationalism, online harassment and sexist commentary.

Benjamin proposed seven measures, including gender-sensitive editorial guidelines, regular coverage audits, diversified sources, professional development, stronger grassroots reporting and measurable progress.

He called on SWAN to collaborate with the NOC, sports federations, leagues and clubs to improve access to information and strengthen women’s visibility in sports.

He urged journalists to ensure that athletes are judged by their performances and achievements rather than gender stereotypes.

“Gender-sensitive journalism must be fair, not favourable,” he said, emphasising that responsibility for change rests with reporters, editors, broadcasters, photographers and digital publishers.

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