Sports
Closing ceremony of the maiden Nasarawa State U-13 inter-primary school football Championship, Lafia
By: Eche Amos
After five days of non-stop footballing action at the Maiden Nasarawa State U-13 Inter-Primary School Football Championship, the curtains will be drawing closed today.
The competition is aimed at discovering hidden talents from the grassroots and in commemoration of this year’s International Children’s Day Celebration held every 27th May.
Eleven Local Government Areas participated in the competition, including Akwanga, Awe, Keana, Doma, Lafia, Keffi, Kokona, Karu, Obi, Nasarawa-Eggon and Wamba, respectively.
Only Nasarawa and Toto LGAs couldn’t make it to the event, probably owing to unforseen circumstances.
Host LGA, Lafia, will slug it out with Keffi LGA after both sides lost out in the Semi-finals’ stage in a painful but dramatic fashion.
In the final, Kokona and Wamba LGAs will unleash all their arsenal against each other to sign-post which Local Government Area will first win the Championship 
Dignitaries from all walk of life will converge on the Sports Complex of the Federal University of Lafia, Makurdi Road, on Saturday, 27th May, 2023, from 3pm, to not only catch a glimpse of the amazing skills and finesses these young lads possess, but to witness the birthing of a new generation of players that will both play for the State’s football team and Nigeria’s teams at whatever level in the future, culminating into professional football in some of the best leagues around the world.
While education is the mainstay of those kids who are still in their primary level, sport plays a pivotal role in their physical, psychological, emotional and social development to deliver on any task in their disposition.
One is hoping that in the nearest future, those talents would be ruling their world, in academics and sports, football, to be precise.
The proponent of this lofty Championship is a man whose competencies and swags are overwhelming. He is a father, a philanthropist, an astute politician, a social critic, a pious being, a leader with distinction, a grassroots mobilizer and political bulldozer.
Honourable Aliyu Bello(Sardaunan Adogi) is the brain behind the Maiden Nasarawa State U-13 Inter-Primary School Football Championship.
The CEO and founder of the popular Aliyu Bello Charity Foundation, the Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in Nasarawa State, having being involved in such competition in then old Plateau, decided to re-awaken the defunct State’s U-13 Inter-Primary School Football Championship since the creation of Nasarawa State through his performing Non-governmental Organization as mentioned overleaf.
Each Local Government Area is well kitted and provided all the paraphernalia of participation by the NGO who collaborated with the State Government to actualize the noble project.
The Championship accepted endorsement from the high and mighty in the society – from Nasarawa State to the world.
His Excellency, Engr. Abdullahi A. Sule, heralded the endorsement of the Championship and graciously approved of it to be included in the programme of his 2nd Term Swearing-in and Inauguration Ceremony slated for 29th May, 2023.
A special dinner and awards’ ceremony is being organized for all the participating Local Government Areas at the Ta’al Conference Hotel, Jos Road, Lafia, by the sponsor of the Championship.
The event will hold by 7pm, few hours after the final match between Kokona LGA versus Wamba LGA, and strictly by invitation.
The Executive Governor of Nasarawa State, H.E. Engr. Abdullahi A. Sule, is the distinguished Special Guest of Honour at the dinner ceremony.
There will be presentations of awards, certificates of participation and prizes to players and teams that have distinguished themselves in the six-day-long competition, with a pact to create the new NASARAWA STATE U-13 FOOTBALL TEAM.
History will continue to be kind to the Organizing Committee Members who were carefully selected to implement the task by the Founder of the Aliyu Bello Charity Foundation, Hon. Aliyu Bello.
Director of Information at the State’s Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, and Vice President, North-central, Sports Writers’ Association of Nigeria, SWAN, Comr. Danmusa Mohammed, is the Chairman of the Organizing Committee.
He is well supported by the Head of Public Relations at the State’s Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, and the youngest contestant for the post of the Assistant Secretary into the National Executive Committee of the Sports Writers’ Association of Nigeria, SWAN, Eche Amos.
Ibrahim Adamu from the Lafia Football Association is the Assistant Secretary.
Smah George from the Nasarawa Broadcasting Service is the Treasurer. SWAN Chairman, Nasarawa State, Isa Mohammed, from NTA, is a member of the Organizing Committee, as well as Ali Abare, immediate-past PA to Governor Abdullahi Sule on Media.
Director of Sports, Nasarawa State Universal Basic Education Board, NSUBEB, Zakari Oji, is also a member of the Organizing Committee. So also are Comr. Joshua Ashelo Grace, a psychologist; Ibrahim Aminu from Radio Nigeria; Musa Mohammed Kaigama; Mallam Approach; Assistant Coach with Nasarawa United FC and Chairman, Nasarawa State Coaches’ Association, Ibrahim Yahaya Sabo Bagu; General Secretary of the State’s Referees’ Council, Abdulganiyu Abdullahi; and Mallam Babayi.
The Screening Committee is headed by the Director of Sports Organizing at the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Lawrence Shammah, and supported by two other Directors from the Ministry, in Mallam Yusuf Ahmad(Facilities and Stadium Management) and Mustapha Sani Bello(Technicals).
It is hoped that the maiden edition of this Championship will open the vista for the continuation of the U-13 football Championship in Nasarawa State and create a traceable platform for talents discovery, nurturing and development for podium appearance.
We thank all those who made this project a success!
See you at the Sports Complex of the Federal University of Lafia by 3pm today.
Happy International Children’s Day Celebration!!!
Manchester United could ruthlessly let TEN players leave Old Trafford this summer as Ruben Amorim targets sweeping changes among his squad. The Red Devils have endured an awful campaign under the former Sporting Lisbon coach.
They only have one route remaining into the Champions League by winning the Europa League, while a bottom-half Premier League finish looks highly likely. And with Amorim targeting huge improvement next season, the United boss is eyeing a mass overhaul of his squad.
The Portuguese coach has already pointed to the fact that the club needs to sell before they can make any signings. That could potentially involve up to ten current stars being shown the exit door.
According to the Manchester Evening News, club chiefs are aiming for double figures in departures during the summer transfer window. Jonny Evans and Tom Heaton are expected to retire at the end of the current campaign, while Victor Lindelof and Christian Eriksen will leave at the end of their contracts.
Meanwhile, a host of stars have been made available for transfer with loanees Marcus Rashford and Antony among those who could be sold, while Jadon Sancho already has the option of a move to Chelsea, who have an obligation to buy the England winger for £25m despite the presence of a back-out clause.
Midfielder Casemiro has also regularly been linked with a move away from the club amid interest from Saudi Arabia. Despite forcing himself back into contention, he is still expected to be available this summer.
Left-back Tyrell Malacia could also depart, with Dutch side PSV Eindhoven having an option to sign him permanently. Goalkeeper Altay Bayindir may also be among those to leave as he eyes more first team football.
Amorim has yet to speak out on any individuals who could leave, but he has claimed that those shown the exit door will ‘understand’. Speaking earlier this month, he said: “We can talk about that [departures] at the end [of the season]. We have a lot of games to play.
“But that is clear, and I think that is not a difficult situation because everybody understands that in football; sometimes you stay, sometimes you have to move on.
“When you are honest with someone, they can take it. In the beginning, it is hard, but they will understand. So I’m quite honest with my players and they already know that sometimes they have to move on at the end of the season.”
Defending champions of the NWFL, Edo Queens FC, will on Wednesday
March 26th, 2025 file out against the host Abia Angels FC, in match day 09 of the Nigeria Women Football League NWFL title campaign.
Edo Queens who currently stand tall in group A with 20 points from 8 matches, will be tempted to eye fifth away win, having kept unbeaten records since the beginning of the new season.
Despite interest from the homers in Wednesday’s crack , the Ancient City based ladies are not ready to drop any point in this critical stage of the league, hence the girls are in killer mood ready to fly over Abia Ladies. A win in this crucial away game would further guarantee the team a spot in the Super 6 where winners of the league will be determine that will fly the country’s flag at the CAF Women’s Champions League showpiece for 2025 season.
Recall that Edo Queens spanked Abia Angels 5-0 at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in match day 01 of the league. Have done wonderfully well, the Benin City Queens will be going into Wednesday’s encounter with full force not minding who is involve. For them, every game is a war, and they will fight until victory comes their way.
The week 9 game according to the NWFL fixtures will take place by 1 pm local time at the popular Umuahia Stadium in Abia State. This particular game is crucial to Edo Queens and remains a core part of Moses Aduku’s game that will separate him from other colleagues if he ends the regular season unbeaten.
Though there’s still two away bridges to cross, but in whatever way you look at it, the girls are ready and will remain focus until it is over.
Meanwhile, coach Moses Aduku has called for maximum concentration from the girls, adding that a win in Wednesday game will brighten their chances of staying on top and also keeping the hope of Super Super alive.
He stated this while addressing the players yesterday in Umuahia.
According to him: “We are here for real business, and so I want us to remain focused. Let them know that you are the defending champions.
You are aware that Edo Queens have not loss any game, so we should try and maintain that record. See every game as war. You humbled them in Benin by 5-0, you can still do same.
Last season they defeated us in Benin, but we came to their home and beat them. I believe we can do it again. I have so much confidence in you girls and by the special grace of God we will go back to Benin with our three points.”
Sitting quietly at one corner of the departure hall of the Kigali International Airport on Saturday morning, Super Eagles’ captain William Ekong had a relaxed mien about him, and minced no words in saying that Friday’s victory over Rwanda’s Amavubi was just the statement the Eagles needed to put out as the World Cup race reached halfway mark.
“It was important to make the statement that we did, and we’re all happy about it, and the way we did it. Of course, we have not qualified and there’s still a lot of work, but we have started the recovery in a good way and we just have to keep working hard.
“I don’t want to go into the circumstances that made the first four matches go the way they went. The good thing is we can still recover and revive the campaign, and we have done that.”
Ekong’s firm leadership, and Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman and Simon Moses’ zest at the fore, were all too evident and impactful as the Eagles coasted to a 2-0 win over hosts Rwanda at the Amahoro Stadium, throwing up nostalgia of the strong squad that wowed all and came within 23 minutes of lifting the Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire early last year.
As the chartered ValueJet Airline’s CRJ-900 aircraft touched down at the Victor Attah International Airport, Uyo at exactly 2pm on Saturday, Ekong told thenff.com that he would be rallying the troops ahead of Tuesday’s Day 6 encounter against the Warriors of Zimbabwe.
“We read somewhere that the Zimbabweans are being motivated to come to Uyo and get a result. They should forget it. We are hugely motivated by the ambition to play at the FIFA World Cup. Apart from myself and Alex (Iwobi) and perhaps a couple others, who were part of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, this generation is hungry to play at the highest level. We want to make Nigeria proud and at the same time, do ourselves proud.”
PHOTO 3: Ambitious Generation!
Victor Osimhen, whose brace unscrambled the calculations of the Amavubi and made them disappoint the capacity crowd that included President Paul Kagame, said at the Victor Attah Airport. “We are ready. The remaining matches are wars and we must fight them with all that we have to win.”
Victory on Tuesday evening will take Nigeria to nine points, and in firm contention for the ticket, especially if Benin Republic and South Africa cancel themselves out inside Abidjan’s Stade Félix Houphouet-Boigny.
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