Sports

NNL Honours Soname, Egbe, Izamoje, Others For Their Support For Coaches Seminar

Published

2 years ago

October 20, 2023

By Joe Ajayi

Coaches who participated in the just concluded Nigeria National League (NNL) refresher course are still counting their blessings for being part of the course even as they have commended the board of the second tier league led by George Aluo for their foresight in repositioning the league through training and retraining of coaches.

The NNL in conjunction with the National Institute For Sports (NIS) organized a refresher course for all the 40 club coaches in the league aimed at upgrading them in modern football coaching techniques.

In separate interviews during the seminar coaches of El Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri, Aliu Zubair, Adamawa United, Usman Adams, and Stationery Stores of Lagos, Bob Osim all agreed that they learned a lot from the course anchored by eminent resource persons including; Technical Director of NFF, Austin Eguavoen, former Super Eagles players; Peter Rufai and Clement Temile, NIS lecturer, Kuhwa Iorsue Jeremiah and Uefa licensed coach, Portuguese Thiago Conde noting that the impact of what they were taught will be seen when the 2023/2024 league season kicks off on October, 28.

According to them, George Aluo led board of NNL deserves commendation for the initiative which is the first in the history of the second-tier league just as they expressed hope that it will be sustained.

” We must commend the NNL board led by George Aluo for coming up with this wonderful idea of preparing coaches adequately before the commencement of the league which is the first of its kind in the history of the NNL.

“For us, this is a new dawn and it has not happened before in the history of the NNL. It takes the courage of a visionary leader to organise this type of seminar which has enriched the coaches’ knowledge as they prepare for the new season.

” It’s also important to state that we learnt a lot from the resource persons and hopefully we’re going to impact the knowledge to our players which will lead to a better league”, they chorused.

The coaches were of the opinion that with regular seminars, the country’s football would improve greatly even as they charged the other leagues to emulate the NNL and organize refresher courses for their coaches.

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Sports

No crisis in NAWIS ahead of AFN elections on Monday

Published

15 hours ago

June 8, 2025

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The Association of Nigerian Women in Sports (NAWIS), known for its orderliness since its establishment in 1990, continues to uphold its standards ahead of the upcoming Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) elections.

With members across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, NAWIS has consistently operated without external interference.

Over the years, its members have been nominated to various boards of national sports federations after meeting established criteria, including the payment of annual dues.

The association has attracted a strong base of respected sportswomen who have served the country with distinction, both during and after their active careers.

In preparation for the AFN elections, zonal elections were conducted on June 2 and 3, producing representatives for the national exercise.

While NAWIS initially planned to hold its election in Zaria, Kaduna State, the association’s headquarters, it was later rescheduled for Abuja on Monday, June 9, following directives from higher authorities.

Importantly, NAWIS has a set of strict guidelines that govern its electoral process, particularly the requirement for timely payment of annual dues. Failure to meet this condition results in automatic disqualification.

This guideline was the basis for the disqualification of Maria Wophil, who has reportedly not paid her annual dues since 2017. Her attempt to hurriedly settle outstanding debts just before the election was deemed non-compliant with NAWIS regulations.

Who is Fatima Yusuf-Olukoju?

Commonwealth gold medallist Fatima Yusuf-Olukoju is one of the leading contenders for the NAWIS representative position in the AFN.

She made history as the first African woman to run the 400m in under 50 seconds and brought glory to Nigeria by winning a silver medal in the 4x400m relay at the Atlanta 1996 Olympics.

Yusuf-Olukoju also claimed gold in the 400m at the 1991 All-Africa Games and silver in the 200m.

Based on nominations and her track record, Yusuf-Olukoju is considered the most qualified candidate. However, three other contenders have also shown interest, and the final decision will be made in the election slated for Monday, June 9, in Abuja.

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