Governing Bodies
NIGERIA’S SPORTS MINISTRY SECURES FULL SCHOLARSHIPS FOR 25 YOUNG ATHLETES-
Nigeria’s Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare has reiterated the commitment of the ministry to support the development of grassroot sports and the nurturing of talents.
Elated with the Ministry’s achievement in securing full scholarships for 25 young athletes in Abuja on Friday, the Minister said to sustain this drive to be able to take in many more, there is a new initiative to revive the Headmasters’ Cup tournament.
To buttress this, the Minister said that the tournament, which will involve 20,000 primary schools across the nation will be used to grow and nurture a new generation of athletes that will replace the ageing ones.
Dare made this assertion during a visit by the discovered talents of National Youth Games, Ilorin and representatives of Nigerian Tulip International Colleges in his conference room at the MKO Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
Nigerian Tulip International College is partnering with the ministry to give the athletes 100% scholarship for their secondary school education, which the Minister said validates the country’s strategic plans as a nation to grow all sports across board.
The minister said that the ministry started a campaign titled “Adopt an Athlete”, which targets both individuals and corporate bodies to adopt a number of athletes and train them.
Sunday Dare, who is happy that NTIC has come to partner with the ministry, said this is unprecedented and will open doors for other partnership with schools and corporate bodies. He believes that the partnership will trigger a greater interest across the country.
The Minister said that this sponsorship goes to speak to the fact that the nexus between education and sports is inseparable, where the mind and skills are developed, and with this the nation will have well rounded sports men and women.
He used the occasion to call on other corporate organizations, local and international schools to reach out to the ministry for the sponsorship template, as there are more than 200 discovered talented athletes, whom the Ministry intends to send to Federations to mentor and develop their skills.
The minister also appreciated the coaches, as they are critical to the success of athletes.
The Vice Principal, Academics of Nigerian Tulip International Colleges, Bob Odey Ushie, in his remarks, thanked the minister for coming to turn around sports in the country.
Ushie said that the school thought it wise to bring forth a new way of involving our youth in sports even as they study.
The school, which already runs a Football Academy, will employ coaches to train between 11 & 25 athletes in seven different sports, after which they will be given 100% sponsorship, Mr. Ushie added.
The school has agreed to sign an MOU with the ministry.
The Permanent Secretary, Olusade Adesola, in his welcome remarks made it known that this proposal is in line with the ministry’s initiative towards grassroot sports development.
Governing Bodies
Nigeria becoming an epicentre of global badminton as Francis Orbih enters the Badminton World Federation Council
Laurels on the courts and now glory in the boardroom sums up the mark that badminton is making in Nigeria.
The President, Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN), Francis Orbih, has been elected as a council member of the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
The election took place during the BWF Annual General Meeting on Saturday in Xiamen, China.
Orbih emerged victorious over top contenders from other African countries.
He will join Cameroon’s Odette Assembe Engoulou on the council, while Chipo Zumburani (Zimbabwe) and Hadia ElSaid (Egypt) missed out.
An elated Orbih expressed his gratitude to fellow badminton presidents across the globe for their trust and support.
He said, “I am deeply honoured by the trust placed in me by my peers across the badminton world.
“I look forward to quality representation, driving development initiatives, and strengthening badminton’s global reach over the next four years.”
Orbih also acknowledged the support of the Federal Government of Nigeria, particularly the National Sports Commission (NSC), which he said played a significant role in his successful bid.
“The Chairman and the Director General of the NSC monitored the entire process. I’m grateful for their involvement and confident Nigeria will benefit from this,” he stated.
He further appreciated the BFN board members and the Nigerian badminton community for their prayers and continued belief in his leadership.
“From the day I declared my intentions, the board members of BFN have been supportive, and I promise not to disappoint them,” Orbih concluded.
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A former member of the FIFA Council, Mamoutou Toure, has been released from jail in Mali after almost two years in detention for alleged corruption, Malian media reports said on Wednesday.
Toure, president of the Malian Football Federation since 2019, was released after 622 days in prison on Tuesday.
He served on the FIFA Council, world football’s all-powerful decision-making body, for four years until last month when he lost his seat after failing to contest new elections.
The 67-year-old was arrested in August 2023 on allegations of embezzling $28 million of public funds but was granted a provisional release order by the Malian courts, reports said.
He was accused of misconduct during his time as the National Assembly’s financial and administrative director from 2013-2019.
Toure denied all charges and, during his time in jail, was last August re-elected as Malian Football Federation president for a second consecutive term, with his supporters claiming he was a victim of a conspiracy fuelled by detractors.
While in jail, he received a letter of support from FIFA president Gianni Infantino. However, as of last month, Toure is no longer a member of the FIFA Council or the Confederation of African Football’s executive committee.
-Reuters
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The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has denied reports of an outstanding debt to former captain Christian Chukwu and has challenged anyone with verifiable documents to prove otherwise.
Chukwu, a former national team captain and chief coach, died last Saturday.
The Nigeria Football Federation decried statements in a section of social media that the football-ruling body was indebted to the deceased.
Reacting to one statement on social media that claimed NFF owed the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations-winning team captain the sum of $128,000, NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, said: “There is no record in the NFF of any outstanding indebtedness to ‘Chairman’ Christian Chukwu.
“During the first term of the Board headed by Amaju Pinnick, a committee was set up to diligently peruse the papers of coaches who were being owed, even from previous NFF administrations.
“That committee was given the clear mandate to verify all debts and ensure that the coaches being owed were paid immediately. I am aware that the ‘Chairman’ was in the employ of the NFF between 2002 and 2005, before he was relieved of the post following the 1-1 draw with Angola in a FIFA World Cup qualifying match in Kano in August 2005. There is certainly no record of indebtedness to him in the NFF.”
Sanusi challenged anyone with genuine and verifiable documents of NFF indebtedness to any coach, who has worked with any of the National Teams over the past two decades, to come forward and tender those documents.
“As a credible organization that is very much alive to its responsibilities, if we are confronted with any genuine document of indebtedness to any coach, we will offset the debt immediately.”
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