Sports

Sports Minister Sets up Task Force on Commonwealth Youth Summit, African Region

Published

4 years ago

March 28, 2023

As part of efforts to ensure adequate preparation and successful hosting of the Commonwealth Youth and Students Summit, African Region 2023, the Honourable Minister ofSports and Youth Development, Mr. Sunday Dare has inaugurated a Task Force ahead of the event.
The Honourable Minister who inaugurated the Task Force today in his office in Abuja said that the Summit is aimed at organizing a platform which will primarily target the youth as the main actors in the development agenda of the African Continent.
He stated that Nigeria’s acceptance to host the Summit was sequel to the request by the Commonwealth Youth Programme and Commonwealth Students Association (a coalition of Student organizations within the Commonwealth) to create a forum for insightful engagement, where youth and students can learn from global leaders in Multinational Public and Private Organisations, among others.
The Summit with the theme; ‘Co-Creating Our Common Future: Leadership in the Digital Age in Africa’, Dare explained, “cannot be more appropriate than now, as we live in a digital world. It will help to position the young people from across Africa to promote their impact in the regional youth event discourse and dialogues. It will also create a forum for insightful engagement, where youth and students can learn from global leaders in Multinationals, Public and Private Organisations, Development Institutions, and Civil Society Organisations” He observed that the present and future success of the Commonwealth, as well as upholding its values, lies with the unwavering commitments and contributions of the students. This, he said, “is large because the young people constitute more than half of Commonwealth’s population, which is estimated at 2.5 billion people”.
The Minister therefore charged the Task force to bring their wealth of experience to bear in ensuring a hitch-free and successful Summit, stressing further that *”as we are all aware, the time is very short, you cannot afford to fail to deliver*⁰
Earlier in his Opening Remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Sports and Youth Development, Alhaji Ismaila Abubakar stated that Nigeria is glad to host the Summit as it provides a window of opportunities for the Youth to explore their talents.
He commended the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Administration for accepting to host the Youth and Students Summit, Africa Region in Nigeria.
The Permanent Secretary therefore called on youth in the region to take advantage of the Summit to develop themselves so as to be employable, enterpreneurial with a view to contributing to the socio-economic development of not only Nigeria but also the African Region.
Responding on behalf of the Task Force, the Coordinator, Commonwealth Youth and Students Summit for African Region, Mr. Marwan Umar Gwamba thanked the Honourable Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Mr. Sunday Dare, the Top Management Staff of the Ministry and President Muhammadu Buhari in particular, for the privilege given them to serve in this capacity, assuring that they will work assiduously to ensure the success of the event.
The conference, which is scheduled to hold in Abuja from 8th-12th May 2023, is expected to host delegates from 21 African Countries, including the host country, Nigeria.

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Sports

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

Published

6 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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