Sports

NFF Elections: Hon Kwande Backs New NFF President To Succeed

Published

4 years ago

October 3, 2022

Former board member of the Nigeria Football Federation NFF honourable Suleiman Yahaya Kwande believes the newly elected president of the football body Ibrahim Gusau will reposition football in the country.

Honourable Kwande, who described the former Chairman of Chairmen of the NFF as competent, experienced and very passionate about football development, added that the new board has what it takes to move football to the next level in the country.

While congratulating the newly elected president and other board members, Kwande said better days are ahead of football in Nigeria as experienced hands have been elected to run the affairs of football in the country.

“I want to first of all congratulate my brother Ibrahim Gusau, new NFF president and other board members on their victories at the just concluded poll in Benin City,”. “I can categorically tell you that Ibrahim Gusau and other board members have what it takes to reposition football in the country because they have the necessary experience to do so since they are all grass-root football administrators and after serving as the Chairman of Chairmen of the NFF, he understands the workings of the football federation”.

The former Football Association Chairman of Plateau State further stated that he will use his wealth of experience to back the new board to succeed.“Under the new administration, we should be confident of commitment to the development of football in the country and success of our national teams and am also committed to that too”.

“Am a grass-root mobilizer with a lot of experience in promoting the development of football through the grass-root and I will use my experience to back my brother and the new board to succeed, am also ready to serve in any capacity to make football great again in Nigeria”.Ibrahim Musa Gusau became the successor of Amaju Pinnick following his victory in the NFF election that took place in Benin City, Edo State.

The football administrator emerged as the new president after polling 39 out of 40 votes in the re-run election against former Super Eagles spokesman, Peterside Idah.Felix Anyansi-Agwu, chairman of Enyimba International FC, was voted in as the first vice-president of the NFF while Ahmed Yusuf Fresh secured 37 from 41 votes to become the chairman of chairmen.

Yahaya Kwande Backs New NFF President To Succeed

“I want to first of all congratulate my brother Ibrahim Gusau, new NFF president and other board members on their victories at the just concluded poll in Benin City,”.

“I can categorically tell you that Ibrahim Gusau and other board members have what it takes to reposition football in the country because they have the necessary experience to do so since they are all grass-root football administrators and after serving as the Chairman of Chairmen of the NFF, he understands the workings of the football federation”.

The former Football Association Chairman of Plateau State further stated that he will use his wealth of experience to back the new board to succeed.

“Under the new administration, we should be confident of commitment to the development of football in the country and success of our national teams and am also committed to that too”.

Ibrahim Musa Gusau became the successor of Amaju Pinnick following his victory in the NFF election that took place in Benin City, Edo State.

The football administrator emerged as the new president after polling 39 out of 40 votes in the re-run election against former Super Eagles spokesman, Peterside Idah.

Felix Anyansi-Agwu, chairman of Enyimba International FC, was voted in as the first vice-president of the NFF while Ahmed Yusuf Fresh secured 37 from 41 votes to become the chairman of chairmen.

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Sports

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

Published

5 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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