Sports

Volleyball: Nigeria wins U19 African title again

Published

4 years ago

September 11, 2022

Nigeria are back to back champions of the U19 Boys African Nations Volleyball Championship.

Nigeria pummeled Egypt 3-0 (25-20, 25-18, 31-29) at the just concluded 2022 U19 Boys African Nations Volleyball Championship in Morocco.

Nigeria dictated the pace in the beginning of the first set as they led Egypt by 8-3 points before the Egyptians closed the gap; the Eaglet finally got their mojo winning by 25-20. Nigeria resumed the second set on a high note beating Egypt by 25-18.

The Egyptian began the third set on a high spirit, taking points alongside the Nigerian team. Both teams took points from 25 to 25 before Nigeria eventually won by 31 to 29 points.

The Head Coach of Nigeria U19 Boys Team, Adekalu Adeniyi praised the relentless efforts of the players against Egypt.

Adeniyi said the players played according to instructions from the first to the third set, dedicating the trophy to God and the Nigeria Volleyball community.

An elated Adeniyi said, “Today is the happiest day of my life in 2022 because Nigeria retained the trophy won in 2020. The players played according to the game plan from the blast of the whistle and never complained whenever they lost points.

“The players have shown greatness from the first day of the championship and exhibited a high level of discipline during the course of play.

“I want to thank God Almighty for the opportunity given to me as the Head Coach to win the U19 African Nations Volleyball Championship again. For record purposes, I and Coach Sani Mohammed won the 2018 African Youth Games title, emerged Champions of the 2020 U19 Boys African Nations Volleyball Championship held in Nigeria (as assistant coach); now I am lifting the trophy as the Head Coach.

“I want to als appreciate the Nigeria Volleyball Federation led by Engineer Musa Nimrod for their tremendous support to the success of the team as well as every Nigerian”.

Adeniyi said the players still have a long way to go despite their superb performance.

“All the players have special qualities in them and I strongly believe that they will become National Assets in the future”, he said.

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Sports

Flamingos’ Historic World Cup Feat Draws Musawa’s Commendation

Published

3 hours ago

November 8, 2026

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, has congratulated Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, following their historic triumph at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.

The Flamingos defeated Japan 2-1 in Saturday’s final at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Rabat to claim Nigeria’s first title in the competition and make history as the first African nation to win the tournament.

Awawu Bashiru gave Nigeria the lead in the 39th minute before Oluebube Umejiaku extended the advantage two minutes after the restart. Japan’s Fuki Ito reduced the deficit in the 80th minute, but the Nigerian girls held on to secure a memorable victory.

In a congratulatory message was signed by Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Minister, Nneka Ikem Anibeze on Sunday in Abuja, Musawa described the achievement as a defining moment for Nigeria and a significant milestone for African women’s football, attributing the success to the team’s resilience, talent and determination.

“This is more than a trophy. It is a story of young Nigerian girls who refused to give up, who rose after defeat, and who carried the hopes of a continent to the top of the world,” she said.

The Minister noted that the Flamingos had broken new ground by becoming the first African team to win the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. Nigeria also became the first African country to win both the men’s and women’s U-17 World Cup titles.

The team further achieved another remarkable feat by becoming the first side in the competition’s history to lose its opening match and eventually emerge champions.

Despite suffering a 2-1 defeat to Poland in their opening group-stage encounter, the Flamingos recovered impressively, recording six consecutive victories to lift the trophy.

Musawa particularly praised Umejiaku, who claimed the tournament’s Golden Ball award as the best player, and Bashiru for their crucial contributions in the final.

She also commended the entire squad for their discipline, teamwork and determination throughout the competition.

According to her, the victory demonstrates the creativity, courage and excellence of Nigerian youths on the global stage.

The Minister reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to celebrating and promoting the achievements and inspiring stories of young Nigerians who continue to bring honour to the country.

“Our girls have shown the world what Nigeria is made of. We celebrate you today, and we will continue to stand with you,” she added.

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