Sports
NSC Swiftly Activates ‘Adopt-an-Athlete’ Training Grant Initiative To Support Brume After Car Crash
…commends Confetti Assets Limited for partnership and support
By Joel Ajayi
National Sports Commission ,NSC, under the leadership of its Chairman, Mallam Shehu Dikko, has activated the Adopt-an-Athlete Training Grant initiative with its first recipient being Nigerian track and field star, Ese Brume, following her recent involvement in a ghastly car accident.
Speaking at an event to mark the partnership with Confetti Assets Limited, the NSC Chairman Mallam Shehu Dikko commended Confetti Assets Limited for its generous support. He reiterated the vision of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to drive sports development in Nigeria through a sustainable Public Private Partnership ,PPP, model.
“We must create a system that does not solely depend on government funding but rather leverages private sector partnerships to achieve a thriving sports economy”, Dikko said.
On his part , the Director General of the NSC, Hon. Bukola Olopade, emphasized the Commission’s commitment to athlete welfare and development.
“While we were strategizing, something unfortunate happened to Ese Brume. She was involved in a ghastly motor accident, but to God be the glory, her life was spared”, Olopade said.
“When we spoke, I asked her what I could tell the Chairman to do for her immediately.
She made me proud when she said, ‘All I need right now is whatever the Commission can give me as a training grant to help me buy a small vehicle so I can continue my training because I want to win the World Championship in September next year.’ That touched me deeply”, Olopade said.
The DG explained that the Commission has activated an innovative approach to raising funds for athlete development, elite sports, and grassroots initiatives.
“We have an ingenious way of raising funds through donations. With the Chairman’s approval, we approached key stakeholders, particularly contractors involved in developing sports infrastructure nationwide. We told them it was time they started donating to a fund dedicated to grassroots development, elite athletes, and federations”, he revealed.
“Confetti Assets Limited and Faisa were the first to support this initiative, and today, we are here to celebrate these patriotic Nigerians who understand Mr. President’s vision and the mandate of our Chairman. We want to ensure that, in the near future, our athletes will have no excuse to say they were not supported”, Olopade added.
The Director-General described the moment as symbolic, as it marked the official rollout of the Adopt-the-Athlete initiative under the new NSC, with Brume as its first beneficiary.
“Today is very significant as we collect the first training grant for the first athlete in a program we plan to launch fully in February 2025. And that first athlete is none other than Ese Brume, arguably one of the most decorated athletes Nigeria has ever produced”, Olopade declared.
On his part, the Chairman of Confetti Assets Limited, Mr. Benjamin Jonathan Ngoka, expressed his commitment to the initiative, pledging continued support for Nigeria’s sports sector.
“We are happy to key into this new vision for Nigerian sports. We understand the mandate of the National Sports Commission and will continue to play our part in supporting athletes and the broader vision of sports development,” Ngoka said.
The Adopt-the-Athlete initiative aims to provide financial support for Nigerian athletes’ training and development, ensuring they have the resources needed to compete at the highest levels of global sports.
With the backing of strategic partners like Confetti Assets Limited, the initiative is expected to significantly impact the careers of elite and grassroots athletes alike.
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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