Sports
THE STORY OF PINNICK AND THE NFF CONGRESS ; A LOVE STORY THAT WAS DESTINED FOR A DIVORCE
The Love Story between NFF President Amanju Pinnick and the 44 Congress Men of the Nigeria Football General Assembly has never been born out of genuine love when we look back to how it all started in 2014.
For anybody who is a student of Nigeria Football History, at least for the Past Eight years, will understand clearly that a Marriage that is not built on Genuine Love , Divorce is waiting at the end.
This is the summary of what is currently happening between the embattled NFF President, Pinnick, and the State FA Chairmen, who constitute majority of the Congress Men .
More than half of the Congress Men are currently eager to end their Romance with Pinnick, which many Followers of Nigerian Football say, it is not a surprise
Some of the Congress Men claimed, they know the Marriage will eventually lead to a Divorce after they tried to stay faithful on their own part to keep the relationship going for the past eights years but disloyalty, Lack of Respect and Failure to Perform his own part of the Marital Duties, are some of the things they got back in return.
This relationship started in September 2014 in Warri, Delta State, in a wedding that was hurriedly put together, after the Controversial Election of Ambassador Chris Giwa in Abuja as NFF President.
In that Election in Warri, Amaju Pinnick was never the choice of the Congress men.
The Congress men had resolved to vote for Mallam Shehu Dikko but Dikko was not allowed to be part of the Process and it is not a hidden truth that Pinnick was forced on them by the then outgoing NFF President Aminu Maigari, who gave him all his support.
Even Maigari today has Spoken about how he regrets all he did to help Pinnick become the NFF President ( That is a Story for Another Day ).
So the Marriage between Pinnick and the Congress Men definitely started on a shaky note where true Love was never the Foundation.
Fast Forward to 2018, Four Years into the Marriage in Katsina, it was another reluctant Ceremony by the Congress Men to renew their vows.
Infact there were alot of fear, and rightly so, that a Divorce was eminent but the FA Chairmen decided to continue with the abusive Relationship after Heaven and Earth were promised (some said it was Dollar reign in the Katsina Election).
It is well documented what each FA Chairman got in Dollars just to save the Marriage from the impending Divorce.
But like what they often say, how long can a woman endure or stay in an Abusive Marriage?
So after Eight years of enduring failed Promises, Disloyalty, Lack of Respect and Selfish Ambitions, the Congress Men seem to be saying this time around the Divorce is inreversible.
For the Past Eight Years , the Congress Men could not muscle courage to file for Divorce despite several threats but this time around, to show that it’s not business as usual, they have officially filed for one .
They have taken the initiative to take some bold steps in recent months and at the moment they have respectfully ask the NFF President to call for a Congress and they are not even joking about it.
And Pinnick, in his usual Street-Wise manner, already seeing what is coming, is playing all sorts of games to avoid calling the Congress, knowing full well that the Congress Men might have finally woken up to their Responsibilities.
The Feelings from the Congress Men is that this time around, the Ship has sailed and they are very resolute to play their Part to effect Meaningful changes to Nigeria Football.
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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