Sports

NFF Election: Defy Court Order face wrath of Law, PFAN Split fire

Published

4 years ago

September 23, 2022

…Wants government intervention

Joel Ajayi

The Players Football Association of Nigeria PFAN on Friday, split fire said that the September 30th forthcoming NFF election in Edo state should not be held until every stakeholder is carried along.

The group also warned the Nigeria football Federation not to breach breach of football peace by defying the Court Order.

Speaking at the press briefing in Abuja, the Spokesperson of the Association Victor Baribote revealed that the Association is ready to bear all sorts of names to bring the desired growth and development of Nigeria football.

He said holding elections in Edo is disturbing public peace.

According to him, Nigeria is too big to be taken hostage, NFF election is nothing but a useless exercise except the proper restructuring and repositioning.

“The Professional Footballers Association of Nigeria Taskforce Attention has been drawn to publications in the media space on the Threat by NFF and its Electoral Committee to defy the September 15, 2022 Federal High Court Abuja order putting the NFF Election on hold and proceed with the September 30 2022 Election.

In the light of the above threat the PFAN Task Force States as follows: The PFAN Task Force has taken appropriate steps and has duly informed all relevant Agencies of Government of threat to cause a breach of the peace by defying the Court Order.

“That PFAN Task force is exploring all possibilities within the ambit of the Law to ensure those who are already defying the Court Order would face the consequences of their actions.

“Our position is that all stakeholders must sit at the round table and sort the problems once but those occupying the position currently are not ready to agree to the gentleman’s agreement we made.

“Part of their prayer is that all the previous board members give way.”

Speaking also, the Board of Trustee of the PFAN Harrison Jalla revealed that failure of the NFF to amend the statute and the inability to carry all the stakeholders along is causing serious impediment to Nigerian football.

He said that the group has all the security agencies to stop the purported election slated for the 30th of September in the interest of peace, justice and the rule of law.

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Sports

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

Published

6 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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