Sports
Edo Reads Riot Act To Insurance
Edo State Commissioner for Youths and Special Duties, Mika Amanokha, has told the coaching crew and players of Bendel Insurance FC that qualification of the club to the elite division was not negotiable.
The commissioner stated this at an interactive session with the players and coaching crew shortly before their training session at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium on Thursday in Benin.
Amanokha expressed concern over the losing streak of the club in recent matches and said the team must win its next three matches.
According to him, the team has failed to reciprocate the state government commitment to the players’ welfare and training facilities by winning matches.
Amanokha said the situation was unacceptable and warned that the team must shape up or face the wrath of the government.
“I really do not know what is happening but whatever it is, we need to deal with it and start winning matches.
“I can’t really understand why the club was winning matches when it had issues of welfare and other problems, but can’t win any match now that salaries, bonuses and better players have been settled.
“It is for this reason that I’m here, not to talk to you but for us to interact to know what the problem is and for us to deal with it together.
“To me, your future does not lie with Insurance FC alone; you are playing for a better future beyond Insurance; you are playing to be spotted by bigger clubs even outside the continent.
“It is for this reason that am mandating you to ensure that you win your next three matches unfailingly,” he said.
Amanokha also informed the players of the government’s intention to restructure the club.
According to him, the restructuring is that those who are not adding value to the club will be excused.
“It is for that reason that I want to know the number of players and their role in the team, so also the members of the coaching crew and their roles.
“This is very important because Insurance is not a charitable organisation.”
Tidesports source gathered that some of the players who spoke, said though there were issues among the players, the problem had been resolved, and assured that they would work for the club’s success.
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.