Sports
NFF President Gusau is Confident, Super Eagles will win the 2023 Afcon competition
The President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau has expressed confidence the Super Eagles will triumph successfully and win the 34th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations ongoing in Cote D Ivoire.
The Super Eagles are already through to the round of 16 and will be playing the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon on Saturday the 27th of January at Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan. The Super Eagles started their journey with a one-all draw against the Equatorial Guinea team and defeated the host nation, Cote D Ivoire by one goal to nil before proceeding to their last game of the group against Guinea Bissau to cement their qualifications from the group stage to the round of 16 with seven points, second below Equatorial Guinea who are top on the table with superior goals count. The Eagles of Nigeria are gunning for their fourth title chase after their triumph three times as the champions of the competition on the continent.
The NFF.com gathered as the erudite President of the Nigeria Football Federation Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau expressed his unshakable confidence while speaking in an Interview with Afro Sport, in his words– “ We can’t say we have done badly the best thing is that if we can’t score more goals we shouldn’t concede and I think is helping us because the key thing is for the team to win and progress in the competition”
“There is a need to give the boys some slacks because these are boys who came into the camp ten days before the commencement of the tournament which is very difficult for them less than one week before the commencement of the competition, the next thing is to bunch into the tournament proper so, we need to give them time and I know the way we are progressing Nigerians wants to see changes in the team and by the grace of God the results will start coming”
The President while speaking dismissed every form of concern in the team saying administrative-wise, all is well in the camp.
“Well all is well and the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has done the needful and on our part, we had to ensure their welfare is taken care of. The players want to make a name for themselves, if you look at the crop of players in the camp only two of them have tested being a champion in this tournament from the previous competition in 2013 when Nigeria won it last in South Africa so, about 23 of them including the African Footballer of the year, wants to make name for themselves in ensuring they win it, they know what is at stake and I don’t have any fear, we are going to progress”
When asked about his confidence in Nigeria winning the tournament in Cote D Ivoire, the passionate football president of the Federation without mincing words opened up with a lot of enthusiasm saying; “Not maybe, I have full confidence the boys will win it, that’s why we came up with a slogan ‘ let’s do it again’ and I’m happy a lot of Nigerians key into the trend of having the confidence that we can do it again, I have a lot of critics of the system today who are coming out boldly in expressing their belief that this team can do it again, and with the way it is going, by the grace of God they can win it and achieve the goal”
Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau also added that on Saturday’s encounter against the Cameroonian, he has no doubt the boys can still do it looking at the stats between the Super Eagles and the Indomitable Lions, the Nigeria team weigh higher compared to them.
“If you look at the records, check it very well how many times did they win the Eagles and how many times we won them is what to check, we are not saying it’s not a big match whenever these two teams clashes is always a big match and rivalry too, both teams play a same pattern of football from almost the same region so, it’s not going to be easy but I’m sure the Eagles will take the day”
The Super Eagles will be looking to make it through to the Quarterfinals in victory after Saturday’s clash at 8:pm in Abidjan and 9:pm in Nigeria time.
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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