Sports
Orseer Ikyaator Foundation Announces 2nd Dr. Joseph Ikyaator National Tennis Open
Joel Ajayi
The Orseer Ikyaator Foundation has announced the 2nd Dr. Joseph Ikyaator Tennis Open, a landmark tennis event scheduled to take place from December 16th to 23rd, 2025, in Makurdi, Benue State. This year’s competition promises to be a historic milestone for Benue and Nigeria, elevating grassroots tennis development to national prominence.
Building on the success of the inaugural tournament, the 2025 edition will feature a National Ranking Tournament, sanctioned to feature Nigeria’s highest-ranked professional players. This marks the first time in Nigerian tennis history that Benue State will host a nationally ranked competition, positioning Makurdi as a new destination for elite tennis in Nigeria.
For one week, Makurdi will become the National Tennis Capital of Nigeria, attracting top-ranked athletes, coaches, officials, and spectators from across the country. The tournament boasts a prize money of Ten Million Naira (₦10,000,000) and Five Million Naira (₦5,000,000) in scholarships dedicated to juniors and local grassroots tennis development programs.
“The tournament is a gift to Benue, a platform for our youth, and a celebration of tennis excellence in Nigeria,” said Orseer Ikyaator, Founder and President of the Orseer Ikyaator Foundation. “We are opening the doors of Benue tennis to the national level and making our state a focal point of tennis history this Christmas.”
The Dr. Joseph Ikyaator Tennis Open aims to attract top tennis players from across Nigeria, promote talent beyond traditional strongholds, and strengthen Benue as a leading sports hub. The event is expected to bring sports tourism, economic activity, and festive excitement to Makurdi, as families, athletes, and spectators converge on the city during the Christmas season.
The tournament is named in honor of Dr. Joseph Ikyaator, a distinguished figure and pioneer whose legacy reflects discipline, charity, leadership, and commitment to talent development.
The Orseer Ikyaator Foundation is a nonprofit initiative committed to education, health, sports development, and community empowerment through strategic programs that uplift youth and create lasting social impact in Nigeria.
The foundation has led innovative sports initiatives across Benue, including the Joseph Ikyaator Tennis Open, renovation of community courts, school tennis outreach programs, and various youth sporting events.
Sports
11 Days to AACT 2026: Munir Tijjani Assures of Nigeria’s Readiness, Government Support
Joel Ajayi
With 11 days to the 2026 All Africa Challenge Trophy (AACT), the championship consultant, Munir Tijjani, has expressed confidence in Nigeria’s preparedness to host the continental women’s golf championship, citing the support of government agencies and key stakeholders.
Tijjani said preparations were progressing with the cooperation of relevant institutions and stakeholders, expressing optimism that Nigeria would deliver a successful championship that showcases the country’s organisational capacity and hospitality to participating African nations.
He noted that the support received from government agencies and other partners had been important to the preparations, helping to strengthen coordination and the arrangements required to welcome teams from across the continent.
The AACT consultant also assured participating countries and golfers that the IBB International Golf & Country Club in Abuja would be open for the championship, expressing confidence in the venue’s readiness to host the competition.
The assurance comes as preparations enter their final phase ahead of the tournament, which will bring together women golfers representing their countries in a contest for continental honours.
For Nigeria, hosting the championship offers an opportunity to promote women’s golf, strengthen sporting relationships across Africa and showcase the country as a destination for international sporting events.
Nigeria will host the All Africa Challenge Trophy for the third time, following the 1996 edition at Ikoyi Club 1938 in Lagos and the 2010 championship at the IBB International Golf & Country Club in Abuja.
The 2026 tournament is scheduled for November 2 to 7 at the Abuja golf course, with about 30 African countries expected to participate.
Under the slogan “Uniting Africa through the greens,” the championship aims to bring African nations together through women’s golf while creating opportunities for cultural exchange, tourism and broader continental cooperation.
With 11 days remaining, the Local Organising Committee and its partners are intensifying final preparations to ensure Nigeria welcomes Africa for a memorable championship.
11 DAYS TO GO.
AACT 2026: UNITING AFRICA THROUGH THE GREENS.
AFRICA IS COMING TO ABUJA.
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