Sports
W’ World Cup:FG Approves N1.3bn For Super Falcon
The Federal Government of Nigeria on 14th July 2023 approved the sum of One million and seven hundred thousand US dollars ($1.7m) which is equivalent of One billion, three hundred and twenty million and fifty thousand (N1,320,050,000) for Super Falcons’ smooth participation at the ongoing 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand Tidesports source reports.
This is contained in a leaked confidential document signed by the Chief of Staff to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila where the Ministry of Sports on behalf of the NFF wrote a request letter demanding for $2m from the FG as the fund was not captured in the 2023 Ministry’s intervention fund. The NFF had submitted the budget of Two Million dollars before it was slashed to $1.7m in a bid to facilitate the smooth participation of Super Falcons at the ongoing FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
The total amount ($1.7m) containing 47 items in which the monies would be spent on includes payment of daily allowances for coaches, back room staff and players, payment for the winning bonuses for officials and players from the preliminary games to the final
Included in the letter to receive daily allowance and estacode are: Incoming Minister of Sports, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, General Secretary of NFF, Four NFF Board Members, NFF President, three management staff, three ministry aides, NFF officials, two State Football Association Chairmen and one state FA Secretary.
The intervention fund covers all the days (from Group Stage to the final) the competition will take place in Switzerland and Australia. Aside the total amount which would be released by the FG, the NFF will still get $1.7m participation fee from FIFA.
Super Falcons had on 21st July pulled a barren draw against Olympic Champions, Canada in their group opener and will face the co-host, Australia on 27th before their final group game versus Republic of Ireland on 31st July.
Recall that a total sum of $3.2m intervention funds was approved for the NFF for 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia where the Super Eagles failed to go past the group stages. $1.6m meant for Super Eagles participation at the 2018 World Cup from the group stage to the quarter-final was released before the commencement of the competition but despite their exit at the group stage, no money was refunded back to the Federal Government.
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.
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