Sports

Nigeria beats Botswana, Lifts WCQ Trophy in Abuja

Published

2 years ago

November 29, 2024

Joel Ajayi

Nigeria Men’s cricket team have emerged the winner of the International Cricket Council T20 World Cup Sub Regional Africa Qualifier C concluded at the cricket oval of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja on Thursday November 28, 2024.

Nigeria beat Botswana by 77 runs to seal their unbeaten run in the five match World Cup Qualifier.

The Director General of the Nigeria Sports Commission, Bukola Olopade, at the event said the victory is a perfect ending to a brilliant showing of all the team at Nigeria Cricket Federation led by Uyi Akpata.

He said, “I am very impressed at the level of professionalism displayed and this is what we encourage as a Commission. Nigeria didn’t just qualify and win the event, the team that staged this event has shown leadership and professionalism and we are proud of them.”

Olopade said the cricket has consistently shown potential for social development.

“We must commend the leadership of Nigeria Cricket Federation. Our Under girls would be at the Cricket World Cup in Malaysia in January, and now our boys are through to the last stage of the 2025 T20 Men’s World Cup. They deserve all the support we can give them. And as a commission we are determined to give support to other sports other than the popular ones,” the NSC DG said.

President of the Nigeria Cricket Federation, Uyi Akpata, said that hosting these African countries in Abuja during the series has thrown up Nigeria as cricket destination beside investment in talent development.

“We are excited to have hosted these countries; Botswana, Cote D’Ivoire, Eswatini, St. Helena and Sierra Leone. I believe the quality of our grounds and our organization clearly have communicated our readiness to host more top class cricket events,” Akpata said.

In the match against Nigeria and Botswana, Nigeria won the toss and elected to bat first, and set 13.00 in the first over to signal a high scorning inning. Tharindu Perera, stepped up got the wicket of opener Selim Salau 1(4) with the last ball of the second over douse the two quick overs.

Isaac Danladi came on and paired Sulaimon Runsewe to a partnership of 140. Danladi’s brilliant knock of 80 off 45 along with Runsewe’s 74 off 53 kept Nigeria in contention and sent pressure to the Baggy Blues of Botswana.

The Yellow-Green did not to sweat much as the 181/5 score simply put the game beyond the visitors, they were all out for 104 in 18.2 overs. Nigeria won by 77 runs.
In earlier matches St. Helena beat Cote D’Ivoire by 10 wickets to seal the 5th spot on the log while Sierrai Leon ran through Eswatini in 12.3 overs winning with 109 runs.

Nigeria and Botswana are now to meet successful teams from the earlier qualifiers (Tanzania, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Kenya) and Africa’s representatives at the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup who are drawn bye (Namibia and Uganda) and will jostle for Africa two spots at the Men’s T20 World Cup in 2025.

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Sports

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

Published

3 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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