Uka-Egbu emerges men’s champion at GHEII Open Darts Championship

Published

4 years ago

August 23, 2021

ChampionNnamdi Uka-Egbu from Abia on Saturday in Abuja emerged champion of the maiden edition of the Global Harmony Envoy International Initiatives (GHEII) Open Darts Championships.

Uka-Egbu defeated Amandon Dewefa of Bayelsa 4-0 in the final of the 501 darts men’s singles event.

In the final game at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Uka-Egbu

defeated Dewefa who at 14 years was the youngest player at the championships.

Uka-Egbu later said he was happy that he won the championship in spite of the opposition.

“This is not the first time I’m winning a national championship. I expected to win the tournament because that was my aim, which was to come and win the tournament.

“But the reason of my success today is continuous training.

“However, I’m happy that the Darts Federation organised this championship and we want them to do more,” he said.

On his part, Dewefa said he was happy that he played in the competition’s final, as it was his first appearance in a national competition.

“I’ m still in the learning process of the sport and I ‘m not ashamed that I lost in the final match.

“I lost narrowly. But I will still ensure that at my next tournament I improved on my performance, better than what I did here,” he said.

NAN reports that Uka-Egbu received a prize money of N90,000, while Dewefa received N70,000.

Pius Famakin from Lagos and Oladore Olatunji from NPF, who both finished in the third position, received N50,000 each.

Oduwole Olatunji from Ogun who came fifth received N20,000

In the female category, Patricia John from Delta came first to receive N70,000 as prize money, while Queeneth Nwachukwu from NPF came second to receive N50,000.

Borokini Kehinde from Lagos and Oluchi John from Rivers came joint third to receive N30,000 each, while Comfort Haruna from Kaduna State received N15,000.

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NLO’s Shola Ogunowo Earns Praise for Driving Grassroots Football and Exemplifying Integrity

Published

2 hours ago

June 7, 2025

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The Nigerian football community has lauded Mr. Shola Ogunowo, Chief Operating Officer of the Nationwide League One (NLO), for his unwavering commitment to integrity and the development of grassroots football, earning him widespread respect and admiration across the sporting landscape.

In a statement released in Abuja and signed by Okechukwu Okebugwu, Mr. Ogunowo was praised as a transformative leader who has redefined the ethics and standards of football administration at the grassroots level. According to the release, Ogunowo has emerged as a “leading figure in the fight against match-fixing, bribery, and all forms of corruption” that have plagued the lower tiers of Nigerian football for decades.

Through consistent enforcement of transparency, fairness, and accountability, Mr. Ogunowo is steering the NLO toward becoming a credible platform where talent can be discovered and nurtured based on merit, rather than manipulation or favoritism.

“In an environment where shortcuts and compromises are all too common, Shola Ogunowo has remained a pillar of integrity,” Okebugwu stated. “He is restoring credibility to grassroots football by ensuring that fair play, discipline, and professionalism are non-negotiable.”

Since taking over as COO, Ogunowo has spearheaded a number of structural reforms aimed at instilling discipline and operational excellence among participating clubs. These include stricter licensing requirements, performance audits, and compliance monitoring to ensure clubs uphold the league’s code of conduct. His administration has also emphasized youth development, with a renewed focus on coaching education and player welfare.

The result is a reinvigorated Nationwide League One that is beginning to attract renewed attention from fans, corporate sponsors, and local communities. Observers say Ogunowo’s leadership is helping reshape perceptions of grassroots football—not just as a stepping stone to the elite leagues, but as a vital foundation for the future of Nigerian football.

“His leadership is not only impacting the pitch—it’s rebuilding trust, creating real value, and setting a good standard for sports administration in Nigeria,” Okebugwu concluded.

As the NLO season progresses, many stakeholders believe that with figures like Shola Ogunowo at the helm, the future of grassroots football in Nigeria is not only secure, but promising.

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