Sports
Sports Minister Charges NAPHER-SD to Play Leading Role in Promoting Fitness and Health Education
Joel Ajayi
The Honourable Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Enoh has charged the National Association for Physical and Health Education, Recreation and Dance (NAPHER-SD) to play a leading role in promoting fitness and health education across the country.
The Minister gave the charge during the courtesy visit of NAPHER-SD, led by its president, Professor Florence Bola Adeyanju, He emphasized the crucial role that NAPHER-SD can play in advancing the nation’s fitness and health awareness. He stated that physical fitness and health education are integral components of a thriving and prosperous society.
“When we look at the sports sector, one element that we have continually missed is the fitness component,” the Minister said. “It is an aspect that we ignore. it incorporates the generality of people into the sports ecosystem.”
“The World Health Organization some years ago focused on the benefits of fitness and physical activity in its guide to all nations. Its benefits to healthy living are enormous. One of the tasks of NAPHER-SD is to come out with advocacy towards physical activity, and ideas on regulating the sector.”
Senator Enoh underscored the need for NAPHER-SD to work in collaboration with the Ministry of Sports Development to develop programs and initiatives that will encourage physical activity, raise awareness about the importance of fitness, and disseminate valuable health education information to all segments of society.
He highlighted that “A healthy nation is a productive nation, and by enhancing fitness and health education, we can contribute to the overall well-being of the citizens. Through effective collaboration between the Ministry and NAPHER-SD, they can jointly design initiatives that target both the youth and adults to cultivate a culture of physical fitness and health consciousness.”
He applauded NAPHER-SD for their longstanding commitment to physical education, sports, and related activities. He recognized the association’s expertise in this domain and its potential to be a driving force behind improving the fitness and health status of the nation.
At the meeting, the president of NAPHER-SD, Prof. Adeyanju stated that the association is strongly committed to promoting holistic human development for individuals to lead better lives. She added that the association pledges its utmost professional support and cooperation to the current administration’s drive to develop sports in the country.
The Ministry of Sports Development and NAPHER-SD will work in partnership to drive toward a healthier, more active nation, with the potential to drive positive changes in the lives of millions of Nigerians.
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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