Sports

We Are Ready To Host Women T20i Cricket-Akpata

Published

4 years ago

March 20, 2022

The President of the Nigeria Cricket Federation, Uyi Akpata has said that all is now set to host the maiden Women’s Invitational T20I Tournament at the Tafawa Balewa Square in Lagos form Monday March 28, 2022.

According to Uyi, “We have just few days to the official opening event and we have most of our boxes ticked. The ground is taking very good shape and necessary accessories needed for the full running of an event of this magnitude are almost fully in place. I can say we are very ready.”

The event, when it gets off next Monday, will become one of the biggest Women’s Cricket events on the continent, given the pool of participating countries it parades.

“We are expecting the five other countries joining Nigeria to start arriving on Saturday and we have a number of pre-event formalities that has been scheduled to go on from there until the first ball on next Monday” he added.

Uyi also said the event has also enjoyed a huge support from corporate Nigeria, especially those with some measure of interest in the gender perspectives that this event addresses.

“We would be making a show of our sponsors and partners sometimes during the week and I believe their support at this time has been a huge plus for this event taking off in the first place.”

The international Cricket Council, Africa, who also has sanctioned the event will also be monitoring proceedings form the start to finish, including making each match count for each nation’s ranking.

Four foreign umpires would be officiating at the event, of which, two of the participating countries will provide one each, Rwanda and Sierra Leon; while the other two would come from neutral non-participating countries, Kenya and Uganda. These would be joined by four home-based umpires in officiating at all the 12 matches of the tournament.

Akpata said the Women’s Invitational T20i Tournament is part of the developmental plan of the Nigeria Cricket Federation and will be upheld as a yearly event to sustain the growing interest and extraordinary achievements that the Federation has attained with Women’s enrollment into the game in the past few years.

This year, more than 125, 000 female cricketers are projected to be recruited into the game, through a nationwide grassroots programme of the Federation.

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Sports

LEADERSHIP Newspaper’s Salifu Usman Receives SWAN Fellowship In Recognition Of Sports Development Efforts

Published

17 hours ago

November 2, 2025

The Gleamer

Salifu Abubakar Usman, Group Sports Editor of LEADERSHIP Newspaper, has been honoured with the Fellow of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) award, in recognition of his exceptional support for the association, professional journalism, and his significant contributions to sports development in Nigeria.

The esteemed accolade was presented during SWAN’s Diamond Jubilee Celebration, held in Abuja, marking 60 years of excellence in sports journalism across the nation.

Upon receiving the award, Salifu expressed profound gratitude, describing the honour as a source of inspiration and renewed motivation to further his lifelong dedication to sports reporting, promotion, and growth.

“This award gives me hope and motivation to do more. It’s a source of inspiration for me and my family, and I believe it will encourage me further in sports reporting and sports development in Nigeria,” he stated.

Salifu highlighted that this recognition serves as a morale boost following decades of hard work and impactful contributions within Nigeria’s sports community and beyond.

The SWAN Diamond Jubilee Celebration attracted prominent figures from sports administration, the media, and government sectors to celebrate individuals and organisations whose efforts have significantly advanced sports development and journalism in Nigeria.

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