Sports
Committee Clears Seven, Others For NFF Elections
Seven persons have been
cleared to vie for the Presidency of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) tomorrow in Warri, Delta State.
The candidates gunning for the NFF Presidency are Ogunjobi Taiwo Joseph (Osun State), Yola Abba Abdullahi (Kano State), Mike Umeh (Anambra State), Pinnick Amaju Melvin (Delta State), Iorfa Mtem Dominic (Benue State), Shehu Dikko (Kaduna State) and Amanze U. Uchegbulam (Imo State).
According to a statement from the electoral committee, four candidates were listed for the 1st Vice-president position of the NFF.
They are Suleyman Muazu of Sokoto State, Inyama Emeka (Abia State), Adamu Shehu (Kaduna State) and Seyi Akinwunmi (Lagos State).
Musa Gusau Ibrahim (Zamfara) is the only candidate for the Chairman of Chairmen position.
For the ordinary membership of the board representing the six geopolitical zones of the country, there appears to be no consensus among the candidates from the regions as most of the candidates have entered the fray to test their popularity among the 44 membership of the NFF General Assembly.
From the North Central, four candidates are battling for the sole ticket for the zone. They include; Agara Silas (Nasarawa State), Suleiman Yahaya Kwande (Plateau State), Ahmed Yusuf (Fresh) (Niger State) and Bewarang Bitrus Yigol (Plateau State).
For the North East ticket, it is going to be battle royal between the five candidates that includes; Yahuza Adamu Haruna (Bauchi State), Abiso Alhaji Bashir (Bornu State), Modibbo Hussaini A. (Taraba State), Kachalla Baba Gana Kalli (Borno State) and Zira Emmanuel Stephen (Adamawa State).
The North West zone ticket is a three-horse race between Sharu Rabiu Inuwa (Kano State), Balele Aminu (Katsina State) and Babangida M. Tukur (Kano State).
The South East fight to get to the board pitches incumbent, Agwu Felix Anyasi (Abia State) with three others – Obikwelu Jude Benjamin Chukwudi (Anambra State), Okenna Chidi Ofo (Enugu State) and Igbokwe Leonard Ikechukwu (Anambra State).
Chairman of the NFF technical committee, Chris Green, has three others to battle in his bid to return to the Glass House in Abuja where he wielded so much influence.
Those bidding to upstage the Rivers man include Tenebe Jarrett Celestine (Edo State) and Oswald Atuake (Cross River State). The only addition to the race is Chairman of Edo FA, Abel Ehigie.
Like Green, Ayodeji Tinubu (Lagos) has three other candidates from the South West zone to battle in his bid for another term at the NFF board. Those also gunning for the ticket are Adepoju Emmanuel Olaleye (Oyo State), Sunday Dele Ajayi (Ondo State), and Majekodunmi G.A. Adesina.
The committee also listed Chris Giwa from the North Central Zone (Plateau State) and Segun Odegbami South West Zone (Ogun) as two previously cleared presidential candidates who have failed to show interest in participating in tomorrow’s elections.
Others who were also cleared but have failed to show interest include Yahaya Adama – North Central (Kogi State), Farouk Yarma Adamu – North East Zone (Gombe State), Shema Mohammed Sani – North East Zone (Yobe State), Obinna J. Ogba – South East Zone (Ebonyi State), Johnson Etim Effiong – South-South Zone (Akwa Ibom State) and Obuah Felix Amaechi – South-South Zone (Rivers State).
Hon Dike who spoke with sports journalists shortly after the flag off the 2024 edition of Chairman’s Football Unity Tournament at Botem Tai in Tai LGA, said the tournament is an annual event to promote peace and unity in Tai as well identify budding talents in the area for global competition.
The opening ceremony of the tournament was more like a carnival was witnessed by huge crowd including prominent indigenes of Ogoni Kingdom, sports lovers and people from all works of life.
The LGA boss revealed that special sports committee will be setup in the area to work out modalities to strengthen sports development in Tai.
He advised the participants in the tournament from various wards in the LGA to play the game by the rules and conduct themselves in a peaceful and orderly manner and use the opportunity to showcase their talents.
Hon Dike further disclosed that his administration will also give priority attention to skills development among the youth to enhance their human capacity and promote enterprise development in the area.
Earlier in his address the Chairman of Tai LGA Football Council, Elder Wisdom Gorgor said the annual football competition has been a unifying factor in Tai LGA that need to be sustained to forge more unity and development in the area.
He urged the participants to see the competition as an opportunity to embrace football as a full career and earn sustainable livelihood.
Elder Gorgor who commended the Chairman of Tai LGA, Hon Dike for his visionary leadership and tremendous development achievements recorded in the LGA under his administration, appealled to the Chairman to build a Mini Sports Stadium in the area to promote sporting activities.
The training was held at the Sani Abacha Stadium Indoor Basketball Court in Kano last Saturday.
According to the Vice President and Head of NBA Nigeria, Gbemisola Abudu, the event was part of the league’s commitment to growing broader basketball ecosystem in Nigeria and making the game more accessible across the country.
“Our first Jr. NBA clinic in Kano speaks to our commitment to growing the game in Nigeria and creating more opportunities for boys and girls to learn and play the game,” Abudu said.
“Nigeria has a rich basketball history and abundance of talent, which is evident every time you watch an NBA game. We look forward to continuing to engage with basketball stakeholders, business leaders and members of the community to further the game’s reach and impact on young people around the country,” she added.
The 2024 basketball initiative clinics of NBA Nigeria also included the league’s inaugural Jr. NBA elite camp for 150 boys and age-16 girls held at the American International School in Lagos in July.
Others include the NBA’s building of 1,000 courts in Africa over the next decade, Nigeria’s Festival Coins and Salubata named the top two winning businesses at NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator’s inaugural Demo Day in New York City held last September, and the third edition of “NBA Meets Art,” a curated installation celebrating basketball through the lens of Nigerian art and culture as part of West Africa’s premier art fair Art X Lagos, held in November.
Central to this vision is the federation’s investment in capacity building, evident in the just-concluded one-week Level 1 Badminton World Federation (BWF) Coaching Course, which marked a significant milestone for Nigerian badminton.
Held in Abuja, the course brought together 13 young coaches from across Nigeria. The last time such a course was held in the country was in 2017, making this a historic and transformative step.
The training was facilitated by the Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA) in partnership with the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) and conducted by Dr. Ahmed Radah, the BCA Development Manager.
Radah, impressed by the talent he witnessed, praised Nigeria’s potential.
“Nigeria is blessed with immense talent and a strong badminton tradition. I believe this country has what it takes to dominate on the global stage,” he remarked.