Sports

Why We Are Injecting Young Blood in the Customs Team – Onikeku

Published

1 year ago

July 17, 2025

Joel Ajayi

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is undergoing a strategic renewal of its women’s volleyball team as part of efforts to reclaim dominance on the African volleyball stage.

The NCS Head of Sports, Samuel Onikeku, said that, the ongoing revamp is focused on infusing young talent to address performance gaps and ensure long-term competitiveness.

Speaking in Abuja at the conclusion of a rigorous two-week screening and selection exercise, Onikeku explained the rationale behind the recruitment of younger players into the squad.

“Injecting young blood into the team is a deliberate step,” Onikeku said. “We observed that since our impressive outing at the 2021 African Club Championship, we’ve struggled to maintain that level. This screening allowed us to identify areas we fell short in the past and bring in players who can offer the energy, hunger, and technical depth needed to succeed again.”

He emphasized the need to avoid the kind of mass retirement that recently affected the men’s team, leaving a vacuum in experience and continuity. “We don’t want the same thing to happen to the women’s team. That’s why we’ve taken this proactive step—bringing in promising young athletes who can grow into the system and secure the team’s future.”

The selection process saw an initial pool of 20 players screened, with 16 advancing based on performance and potential. Onikeku noted that the final list of successful players would be announced soon.

“We are not just building a team for the next competition; we are building a team for sustained success,” he added. “When the next African Club Championship comes around, the volleyball world will see a different Customs team—young, dynamic, and proudly Nigerian.”

Supporting Onikeku’s position, Coach Ajaegbe, one of the team’s technical staff, acknowledged that the last outing at the African Club Championship did not reflect the team’s true strength. However, he said the new direction signals a turning point.

“Our aim is to produce a team that Africa will admire—a team that showcases Nigeria’s potential and spirit,” Ajaegbe stated. “We’re developing these young players technically and tactically to meet the standards that Customs is known for.”
He reiterated that only players who meet the high standards of the Nigeria Customs Service will be selected, expressing confidence in the future of the squad.

“With what we’ve seen from these young players, the future looks promising,” Ajaegbe affirmed. With renewed energy, clear planning, and a strong focus on youth development, the Nigeria Customs women’s volleyball team is poised for a powerful comeback on the African stage.

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Sports

Plateau Vipers, Benue Queens Crowned Champions at HFN North Central Division One Tourney

Published

15 mins ago

October 3, 2026

The Gleamer

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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