Sports
SWAN boss thumbs up FCT minister for rewarding athletes
Bunmi Haruna, chairman of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) FCT chapter, has commended the Minister of Federal Capital Territory Administration for hosting and rewarding athletes who won laurels at the Edo 2020 National Sports Festival.
This is sequel to an earlier announcement by the minister of State for FCTA, Dr Ramatu Aliyu at the FCT award night held in Abuja on August 19, 2021.
The minister announced a N400,000 reward for gold medalists, N250,000 for silver medalists and 150,000 for bronze medalists.
Team FCT won a total of 37 medals, made up of six gold, 15 silver and 16 bronze to finish 15th on the log table. 261 athletes and officials represented FCT at the festival held in Benin City
Haruna commended the Minister’s gesture while seeing it as a welcome development. Adding that it will go a long way in motivating Team FCT to win more medals in future games.
“I want to use this occasion to assure the FCT administration of the support of SWAN in sports development and coverage of events in the Territory,” the FCT SWAN chairman said.
“The Permanent Secretary who represented the minister at the event also deserves our commendation. I also want to give credit to the Director of sports Luka Istifanu and his team for the amount of hard work they put up in preparation and participation of Team FCT at the festival.
“We as the watchdogs of sports in this Territory are impressed but there are rooms for improvement. To the athletes and officials I say kudos.”
He urged the FCT administration to give Team FCT more support to enable an improved outing at the National Youth Games in Ilorin coming up later the year.
Sports
FCT FA Board Member Urges Grassroots Reform, Hopeful For Super Eagles World Cup Qualification
Legal Practitioner And Administrator Barr Bucknor Threatens To Petition FCT Minister Over Abandoned Stadiums
Despite Nigeria’s precarious position in the race for a spot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Barrister Babatunde Burknor, a board member of the FCT Football Association (FA), remains hopeful that the Super Eagles can still secure qualification.
Nigeria currently sits third in their qualification group with 11 points from 8 matches, trailing Benin Republic and South Africa, who both lead with 14 points. Yet Burknor, a seasoned football administrator and grassroots sports advocate, believes all is not lost.
In a recent interview made available to BSN Sports, Burknor said: “Nigeria’s qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup may appear almost impossible, but that doesn’t mean it is out of reach. The situation is tough, yes, but looking at the quality of players in our squad, I still believe we can make it.”
He added that unexpected results from other group rivals could work in Nigeria’s favour.
“Football is unpredictable. There is still a chance that South Africa, Benin Republic, or Rwanda could drop points. If we win our remaining two games, we still stand a chance. Sometimes football reflects life where the strong may fall while the seemingly weak stand tall.”
Calls for Grassroots Reform in the FCT
Beyond national team concerns, Burknor also used the opportunity to address the state of sports development in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), urging the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to take concrete action to revamp local infrastructure.
“We have deep-rooted problems when it comes to grassroots sports. The major issue is a lack of funding and commitment from those charged with driving development at that level,” he said.
Burknor lamented the disappearance of once-thriving youth competitions like the Chairman’s Cup, Principal’s Cup, and Shell Cup, stating that such events played a crucial role in identifying and nurturing young talent.
“It’s disheartening that these programs are no longer active. Development is impossible without facilities, yet we lack even basic training grounds.”
The legal luminary revealed that he personally upgraded the sports facility at a government secondary school in his area to serve as a makeshift training centre, due to the absence of a functioning local stadium.
He is currently drafting a petition to Minister Wike, over abandoned stadiums in FCT, urging a comprehensive audit of officials responsible for sports development across the six Area Councils of the FCT.
Progress in Gwagwalada Football Development
As Vice Chairman of the Gwagwalada Football Council, Burknor highlighted the success of the Gwagwalada Football League, which has become a model for other Area Councils.
“In just two years, we’ve turned the Gwagwalada Football League into a success story. Several players from the league have already secured contracts in Europe. This shows what can be achieved with vision and consistency.”
Barrister Burknor, emphasized that grassroots football holds the key to Nigeria’s long-term football success and must be taken seriously.
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