Sports
Nigeria Wins International Cricket Council Global Impact Award as Abuja Hosts World Cup Qualifiers
Nigeria has been awarded the International Cricket Council best Global Impact rating award for the tremendous achievement of the Nigeria Cricket Federation in using sports to promote youth and social development.
This information was contained in the message delivered to the Minister of Youth and Sport Development, Sunday Dare, on Tuesday, when top officials of the International Cricket Council visited him in his office in Abuja ahead of the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Africa Division 2 qualifiers to be hosted at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja from Friday, September 30th, 2022.
ICC Global Development Manager William Glenwright and Patricia Karambami, head of Africa Development, were led by the President of the Nigeria Cricket Federation, Uyi Akpata on the visit.
Elated by the recognition of the strides made by the ICC, the Minister appreciated them for their support, “As a government, we are thankful to the ICC for the recognition and for granting Nigeria the rights to host the U19 World Cup Qualifiers.”
He also commended the Federation on their developmental efforts, “I also want to commend the leadership of the NCF for being deliberate, strategic and tactical with their programmes.
“These outlined programmes also speak to the core mandate of the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development. As we develop sports, we also ensure there is youth development.”
In his earlier remarks, Glenwright, who had visited cricket facilities in Lagos and Edo States before the visit to the Honourable Minister said: “The ICC is pleased with Nigeria and wants to commend the sports authorities for these achievements. Surely, Nigeria has now opened itself up for more support from the ICC for the expansion of the sport in Nigeria.”
Adding that, “Nigeria’s rising profile in cricket has been amazing. The progress made by the sport in Nigeria needs to be studied and the template adopted for some other countries.
“How Nigeria moved from the almost zero awareness and low commitment to the sport a few years ago to being a force and a country that is now qualifying for the World Cup is remarkable.”
Nigeria Cricket Federation President, Uyi Akpata at the meeting informed that his team had set the ambitious goal of cricket recruitment of 250, 000 kids which is being met through strategic implementation and the enabling environment that the ministry had encouraged.
His words: “We thank the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development for providing a conducive environment for the development of Cricket in Nigeria. Nigeria is one of the two countries in the world with the fastest growth rate for cricket. Nigeria is number one in the world in the ICC Global Impact rating. We moved the game to the IDPs and got about 250, 000 youth involved in the sport.
“The number one State in Nigeria for Cricket is Zamfara State and most of those involved in the sport are women.
“We have been strategic, very deliberate and also tactical in our approach and that explains the results we have been getting.
“The ICC gave us the rights to host the U19 World Cup Qualifiers because of the giant strides we have taken in Cricket in recent times and the support we have received from the Ministry.
“The encouragement and charge of the Minister that we should engage private sector support also helped us a great deal.”
Nigeria and and seven other countries are participating in the World Cup qualifiers.
The other participants, already in Abuja are Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Malawi, Mozambique, Botswana, Ghana and Kenya.
Sports
Tinubu, Fashola, Governors, UNESCO, Sports Leaders to Headline National Grassroots Sports Summit
Joel Ajayi
The stage is being set for a landmark gathering at the Presidential Villa as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former Lagos State Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, and leading figures from government, sports administration and international development feature in the proposed opening-day programme of the National Grassroots Sports Development Summit 2026.
In a statement signed by Thursday by the Chairperson Media Sub-com National Grassroot Sports Summit Dr. (Mrs.) Kehinde Ajayi stated that, the two-day Summit, scheduled for November 18–19, 2026, at the Banquet Hall, State House, Presidential Villa, Abuja, is being organized by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Grassroots Sports Development, Hon. Adeyinka Anthony Adeboye.
With the theme “Creating a New Pathway for Sustainable Grassroots Sports Development,” the gathering seeks to produce practical solutions to Nigeria’s longstanding challenges in talent discovery, infrastructure, funding, coaching and athlete development.
The opening day, Wednesday, November 18, promises high-level engagement, with President Tinubu listed as Special Guest of Honour, while Fashola is scheduled to deliver a keynote address.
Also featuring in the Day One programme is Dr. Tayo Aduloju, Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), whose organization has been engaged as technical partner to help translate discussions into a workable development roadmap.
Other personalities and institutions on the opening-day lineup include the Chairman and Director-General of the National Sports Commission, Mallam Shehu Dikko and Hon. Bukola Olopade; the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum; the President of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON); and the Head of Office and UNESCO Representative to Nigeria.
Also listed are Barrister Enitan Oshodi, President of the African Table Tennis Federation; the President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee; and Dr. Musa Nakorji of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Research Department.
The involvement of these personalities reflects the Summit’s emphasis on connecting sports development with economic planning, education, grassroots governance, international cooperation and private-sector investment.
Adeboye described the gathering as an opportunity to move Nigerian sports beyond isolated achievements towards a coordinated national development system.
“The real question is not whether Nigeria has sporting talent.
We know we have talent in abundance. The question is how we build a system that discovers, nurtures and supports that talent consistently, from our communities and schools to the international stage,” he said.
He stressed that the participation of state governments, local councils, development institutions and sports administrators would be critical to producing lasting outcomes.
The Summit will continue on Thursday, November 19, with further stakeholder engagements aimed at developing actionable recommendations for sustainable grassroots sports development with preparations intensifying, organizers are confident that the gathering will provide a defining platform for strengthening the foundation of Nigerian sports and expanding opportunities for young people nationwide.
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