Sports

OPINION: NRA Elections In Search Of NFF’s Neutrality

Published

3 years ago

April 24, 2023

I was still trying to understand the games being played by some Football Associations (FA) chairmen in a bid to remain in office while some government officials have usurped the role of FA chairmen in a bid to put their stooges in office, in the process of still trying to come to terms with the whole scenario only for me to hear about the removal of Edo State FA chairman with few days to election

However, what is more painful is the silence of Nigeria’s football arbiter, the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF on the whole issue. While trying to wrap my head around the conundrum, I received a text message from an unknown number of joint zonal meeting of Nigeria Referees Association reportedly called by NFF President, Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau.

The notice reads: “I have been directed to inform all the councils’ Chairmen and Secretaries that the joint meeting of the North Central, North East and North West of NRA has been scheduled as follows:

Venue of the meeting: R and K hotel, Magajin Rumfa Road, Opposite DSTV Office, Nasarawa, GRA, Kano.
Date of arrival/Meeting: 24th April, 2023
Date of departure: 25th April, 2023.

SGD: Omale Clement O. (Zonal Sec)
For: Zonal Coordinator”

On face value, there is nothing wrong with the northern block calling for a meeting especially with NRA election ahead. But what baffles me was the name of NFF President, Ibrahim Gusau being mentioned in that breath and being reported to have called for the meeting; paid for accommodation and flight tickets of participants in a bid to sway votes for his annointed candidate, Sani Zubairu.

Is the NFF President only for the North? Why is South-West and South-East not part of this meeting in far Kano? This might likely lead to division within the association instead of uniting the family.

According to information reaching me from the grapevine, the NFF President was reported to have spoken to powers that be in NRA to stop some candidates from contesting for NRA Presidency some of them are the former Secretary General of NRA, Prince Moruf Oyekunle Oluwa, Elder Olokor Daniel and the other one is Dr Omeiza Suleiman.

All the 3 candidates contesting hail from North Central including the anointed one, Alh. Sani Zubairu. I can report that the power block within NRA supported by NFF President was able to convince Oyekunle Oluwa and Elder Olokor to forgo their ambitions to become the Association’s president despite the fact that they are from North Central Referees Council.

The power block was unable to stop Dr Omeiza because he is neutral and a man manager in addition to having the support of his constituency. His achievements in the course of the game and after the game are remarkable, so, if it boils down to achievements then he is a man to take NRA to the utopia. Besides all these, he is also a full fleded Northerner unlike Oluwa and Co.

As if that is not all, the President is also mounting Increasing pressure on outgoing EXCOs requesting them to send all the phone numbers of all delegates to him. You may ask yourself what does NFF President Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau has to gain in all of these, or is this an effort to make the NRA subservient to NFF.

The question is which agenda is NFF President pursuing? Why is he trying to favour a particular candidate over another?

The NRA is an independent body and any attempts to interfere or influence the body’s election will be met with stiff resistance from the members.

The Nigeria Referees Association is an affiliate of NFF not a subsidiary,. The president should remain neutral and like a father should not favour any person but support whoever emerges at the end of the day rather than trying to create animosity among NRA members.

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Sports

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

Published

7 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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