Sports
Director Lists Gains Of DAWN
The Director of
Organisation, Oyo State Sports Council, Gboyega Makinde, has said that the Development Agenda for West Africa (DAWN) Games would expose talents at the grassroots in the state.
The DAWN Games (South-West States Secondary Schools Games), which began in Lagos on May 16, would end on May 24.
Makinde told our correspondent that the competition would encourage the state athletes to participate in more sport programmes at the grassroots.
“The tournament is inspiring us to build up a grassroots programme which will help nurture talents that will be of immense benefit to the state.
“It will positively engage the youths and take them off the streets and equally make them good ambassadors of the state,’’ he said.
Makinde also commended the Lagos State for hosting the tournament and expressed the hope that the tournament would become a prominent competition in the South West.
“The host state has done its best. You cannot satisfy everybody, but it is a fair organisation and if it continues this way, that means the South West states will go places in National Championships.
Makinde was also sure that Oyo State would win the championship.
“We hope to win the competition and if we do not win, it is not a do or die situation. We are here to expose and develop our talents.
“When our athletes mature, we will be able to use them for future competitions,’’ he said.
Over 2,000 athletes from Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ekiti and Lagos States competed for honours in 12 sports.
Ondo State, however, failed to participate.
Kano Pillars FC have added six new players to their ranks during the mid-season transfer window as they look to shore up the former league champions in the second stanza of the Nigeria Premier Football League.
Sai Masu Gida delved into the transfer market to purchase former Lillestrom of Norway midfielder, Charles Ezeh and Alex Jerry who staged a return to the team after his stint in the Maltese Premier League.
Other players acquired include Dawud Ibrahim, a left-back from Kebbi United, Uzogara Kennedy, a central defender from Rivers United.
In attack, the club has secured the services of three strikers—Eshimitu Gomino Eya from FRSC, Hadi Mohammed Olanrewaju from Bayelsa United.
These signings aim to add the necessary depth and quality as the Sai Masu Gida seek to refine their season and push for stronger performances in the league.
Meanwhile, the club announced the departure of four players from the club. Usman Aminu Maidubji and Yusuf Abdullahi have moved on loan to NNL side Barau FC and Plateau United, respectively, until the end of the season.
Additionally, Ghanaian midfielder Emmanuel Anaful’s contract was terminated by mutual consent, while striker Abdulmajeed Aminu is set to complete a move to South African side Moneni Pirates.
While bidding farewell to the departing players, the club’s chairman, Alhaji Ali Muhammad Umar, welcomed the new signings and urged them to give their best in restoring Kano Pillars to its glory .
The Chairman of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye, will be delivering a presentation at an event that seeks to strengthen the integration of football and education in the country.
Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau, the President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), is also billed to attend the event as the special guest of honour.
In attendance also will be the Ambassador of Hungary to Nigeria, His Excellency, László Szabó.
Organised by Hungary-based V Agency, the event will hold in Abuja on Monday, February 11 at Abuja Continental Hotel, Wazobia Hall.
In the invitation letter to Elegbeleye, the Chief Executive Officer of V Agency, Alexandra Végh, noted:”The purpose of this event is to strengthen the integration of football and education in Nigeria,
with a particular focus on scouting advancements.
“We aim to highlight the transformative role of technology in scouting, including the use of advanced scouting software, video editing techniques, AI, and analytics courses,” Végh added.
The event, she went on, will explore how these tools, alongside the assessment of players’ physical attributes, can redefine professional scouting.
The event will also showcase V Agency’s contributions to fostering sports and educational partnerships in Nigeria while creating opportunities for collaboration with key stakeholders, including football clubs, academies, schools, and industry professionals.
Some of such stakeholders include officials and clubs of the Nigeria National League (NNL), Nationwide League One (NLO), football academies, and educational institutions.
During the event, Végh will offer insights into V Agency’s project in Nigeria. The event will provide opportunities for network with key figures in the football and education sectors.
Nigeria’s Junior Female Yellow Greens ended the tournament as the sixth-best nation, creating huge upsets against test-playing nations New Zealand and Ireland.
The team’s historic performance drew more attention to the game in Nigeria, and Akpata believes the NCF can achieve more by fostering strategic partnerships with brands and relevant stakeholders ahead of subsequent tournaments.
Having started the year on a bright note with the Junior Female Yellow Greens outing, NCF presidents noted that it was in line with the board’s strategic plans for the year.
“We redefined expectations as we went along and these girls deserve all the accolades they are getting. Having said that, this is not just happening by chance, it is four years in the making,” Akpata said at the reception organised by the NCF for the team last Friday.
“We have six targets. For the female team, we want to break into the top 20 in the world and the top 25 in the world for the male so that we can go and play in the Challenge League where we can play the ODI, that’s a different status.”
According to Akpata, the U-19 women’s team performance has aided the NCF’s plan to sell itself to potential partners.
“One of the key things again is that we now have a brand we can sell so we are going commercial. Let people also recognise that they can invest in the cricket brand. Before the World Cup, we got two requests from international companies including one in Costa Rica saying they want to have their names on our outfit. But I paused and thought I’d rather prefer a Nigerian brand. That’s what these girls have done. Hopefully, we will launch the Nigerian Super League this year as well.”
Other Nigerian national teams will also be in the mix to qualify for more World Cups this year, beginning with the men’s U-19 team, which will host other countries in Lagos by April. The men’s senior team are billed for the final phase of the men’s T20 World Cup qualifiers in November.
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