Sports
Onikeku Re-elected to Represent Military and Paramilitary on AFN Board
By Joel Ajayi
Renowned athletics administrator and Sports Secretary of the Nigeria Customs Service, Samuel Onikeku, has been re-elected as the Military and Paramilitary Representative on the board of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN).
The election, held at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja, brought together key stakeholders from Nigeria’s military and paramilitary sporting units.
Onikeku, who served as Technical Director on the outgoing AFN board and previously held the same representative position, was returned unopposed — a clear endorsement of his leadership and unwavering commitment to the development of athletics within the armed services and beyond..
Speaking shortly after his re-election on Thursday, Onikeku expressed gratitude to his colleagues for the renewed mandate, promising to continue championing the interests of military and paramilitary athletes within the AFN framework.“I am honored by this re-election and deeply appreciate the confidence reposed in me. My focus will remain on fostering discipline, excellence, and opportunity for athletes across all services, while strengthening synergy with the civilian athletics community,” he stated.
Onikeku, who also serves as the Sports Secretary of the Nigeria Customs Service, has been instrumental in discovering and nurturing top talent from military and paramilitary institutions to represent Nigeria at national and international competitions.
His leadership is credited with improving coordination between the Nigeria Customs Service, other sports units, and the AFN, while also driving initiatives aimed at identifying and grooming young athletes from security formations.
The AFN board, which includes representatives from various zones, stakeholders, and institutional blocs, plays a key role in shaping the strategic direction of track and field sports in Nigeria. With his re-election, Onikeku is expected to continue leveraging his experience, discipline, and structured leadership to further reposition athletics as a vital pillar of Nigeria’s sporting success.
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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