Sports
Kwara United Sure To Exit Relegation Zone
After their triumph over Kano Pillars, the Harmony Warriors defender is hoping his side can leave the drop zone by mid-season
Kwara United’s Shuaib Olanrewaju believes his side can move out of the bottom four places mid-way into the ongoing Nigeria topflight season.
The Harmony Warriors had a poor start to their campaign, losing five straight league games – the longest defeat this season – a poor run of form that saw erstwhile John Obuh lose his job.
However, they secured a 2-1 victory over Kano Pillars in Ilorin last Sunday – first win in last six games, handing new coach Abubakar Bala a winning start in charge of the Ilorin-based side.
The defender, who joined the team from Ijayapi Rocks in October 2017, blamed lack of motivation for their awful start but he is confident they will realise their topflight survival quest.
“I’m happy with the high spirit among the players and great commitment too,” Olanrewaju told Tidesports source.
“Our victory against Kano Pillars was made possible because everyone – coaches, players and management played their own role.
“We got huge motivation before the game. It was not there before as you know that players do not joke with money.
“With that, I think we can move out of the relegation zone by the mid-season. The players are willing to play and if the motivation is sustained, we can finish 12th on the table. It’s possible!
“I don’t think the former coach (John Obuh) is bad because the team was not performing well but I believe if things were not working out for him here, it could work out elsewhere.”
Olanrewaju further feels the understanding between the technical crew and players will help the team out of relegation as he aims a good outing against Sunshine Stars next Wednesday.
“The approach of every coach is always different and may not always be understood by every player. Coach Bala (Abubakar) is a good coach and the players are fast adapting to his style.
“Bala had a very good outing in his first test against Pillars and I believe he wants to prove his worth and take the club out of our current position.
“He just started and still has many games ahead of him, even more than the former coach. So, he has a lot to do.
“I believe he can succeed because the spirit in the team is high. The players and the coaching crew are on the same page and that is already pushing the players to put in their best”, he continued.
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.