Sports

2019: Nigerian Wrestlers Record Impressive Outing

Published

6 years ago

December 30, 2019

Nigerian wrestlers in 2019 lived up to expectations as they hope for better things in 2020 with their performances.
Already, President of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation (NWF), Hon. Daniel Igali has hailed their performances, describing 2019 as a ‘very good year’ for the sport.
While speaking in his office in Yenagoa, Hon. Igali, who is also the Sports Commissioner in Bayelsa State, added that the wrestlers, who won lots of laurels at both continental and global championships this year, performed incredibly well and deserve commendation.
“I think till date, the performances of the Nigerian wrestling team this year were probably the most outstanding of the past seven, eight years,” he said.
“Starting from the African Championships (in Tunisia) where, again, our women became overall African champions for the 7th time in a row, and then, looking at the 12th African Games (in Morocco), where we again dominated not only as a female team, but as the overall best team in Africa in female wrestling, male wrestling and Greco Roman by coming home with seven gold medals.
“Then to the World Championships in Kazakhstan, where Odunayo Adekuoroye (57kg) qualified for the Olympics by winning a bronze medal; a historic bronze medal. She’s, without a doubt, become the measuring rod in Nigeria Wrestling Federation, winning three medals within four years at the World Championships. That is outstanding, and you can’t really take anything away from her.
“Blessing Oborududu (68kg) at the same competition (at the World Championships in Kazakhstan) was just one placing away from qualifying for the Olympics. She placed seventh instead of sixth.
“And Mercy Genesis (50kg) won a silver medal at the World Beach Games (in Doha), while Blessing Onyebuchi (+70kg) became our world champion in Beach wrestling by winning a gold medal. And those were the two medals Nigeria won out of the team that was presented.”
Still reflecting on the achievements of the wrestlers this year, the Olympic and world champion added that it would be difficult to surpass their feat considering the lean budget the federation operates on.
“As we speak, we have two athletes ranked in the top four in the world,” he noted. “Blessing Oborududu (68kg) is No. four and Adekuoroye Odunayo (57kg) is No. two.
“And I doubt if there is any other sport, outside of Paralympic sports, that has two athletes ranked in the top four in the world.
“Those are just the competitions that have come off the top of my head. If we are to look at the Grand Prix (ranking) tournaments we had in Germany and Bulgaria, where we had our athletes win international medals, that goes to tell me that we had a very good season. A season that will be hard to replicate, especially when you compare the level of funding we have against what we’re able to achieve as a federation.
“So, looking back, I will say this is a very good year for Nigerian wrestling,” the vice president of the Commonwealth Wrestling Board concluded.
Not Yet Uhuru For Basketball
Basketball is one of the sports that truly did the nation proud internationally, if the performances of the nation’s men and women teams are anything to go bye.
The men team, D’Tigers qualified for the 2020 Olympics by being the best African team at the last World Cup that held in China where it defeated the host team in its last game to pick the sole African ticket.They placed 17th in a 32 team tournament.
At the beginning of the year, the team was the first African country to qualify for the World Cup winning their first nine qualifying games on the bounce.
D’Tigress, the women team retained the Afrobasket title beating Senegal, the host nation, in the final 60-55. It also picked one of the tickets for the 2020 Olympics qualifying Tournament in Mozambique in November.
D’Tigress are grouped with the hosts Serbia, world champions USA and Mozambique in the same group for the tournament, from which three tickets will be won for next summer’s Olympiad. To qualify for the tournament, D’Tigress need to win just a game and they are expected to beat fellow Africans, Mozambique.
And ahead of the event in February, D’Tigress coach, Otis Hughley named 14 players that will resume camping at the start of the year.
Reacting to the draw which pitched them against USA, President of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), Ahmed Musa Kida, said qualification for the 2020 Olympics was possible despite admitting that it was a difficult draw.
“Being drawn against world number one (USA) and seven (Serbia) surely will not make the job easy but I am optimistic that qualification for the Olympics is possible,” Kida said.
“We know that tournament of this magnitude costs money, time and proper planning. We are going to be working with the Ministry of Sports and Youth Development, the Honorable Minister, Hon. Sunday Dare to ensure that we return to the Olympic Games,” he said.
He went further: “The men have already qualified and all eyes are on our women to also join their counterpart in Tokyo. D’Tigress are the reigning African Champions and we hope this will count for something when they start the qualifiers,” he said.
Of course, one knows that to go unbeaten in four years with an incredible 16-0 record has handed Nigeria the undisputed crown of African basketball and yet according to captain Adaora Elonu, D’Tigress are just getting started.
Back -to-back FIBA Women’s AfroBasket champions, they targeting a place at the high table of the world stage and to do that, they need to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and compete at that level.
Such an accomplishment is not a walk in the park. If anything, they will have to be on top of their game to achieve this target and further chase their dream to conquer the world.
In an exclusive interview with FIBA.basketball, Nigeria Elonu said, “ We needed this to continue to fight for a chance to attend the Olympics.
“For Nigeria, I think it means that we are making them proud. We work very hard and are still working to reach our goals. Nigeria has been very supportive of our success and we are glad we have been doing well thus far.
“It has been great. Many ups and downs at times where the players and staff have had to preserve and showing this record makes it seem worth it.
“The next level will be another challenge. These windows are difficult for all teams. Not much time for preparation and review.
“Our team has dealt with little preparations for many years and it is a luxury we know that can be very valuable. We are excited and ready to see our placement and country and have one mind there,” Elonu explained further.
“We are blessed and it will be an amazing achievement for us to reach the Olympics. It has always been on the mind of the federation and players and the opportunity is getting near. Talent can be abundant but having a good coach and players who have a similar mindset is what is critical.”
Following their impressive outing at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2018 in Tenerife, Spain, Nigeria are hungry for more international exposure for it gives them cult status in Africa.
Their improvement in the way they approach every game is visible to anyone with eyes that can see and it is this exact reason that keeps them on their toes wanting more and more.
Elonu highlighted that when she said, “It would be fantastic and similar to qualifying for the World Cup – a big achievement for Nigeria.
“We have one player who has been there before – Aisha Balarabe – and a flock of others who want to experience the event and compete.”
However, it is not uhuru for the sport as domestic success fail to match the international successes. The division one league has failed to be organized as expected die to the lingering division in the federation. Several of the clubs hold their allegiance to the former board which has polarized the home front.
Even at that Kida has vowed to ensure that the league will bounce back in a big way.
According to him, re-organising the league from the lower division was very important.
To this end, Total Nigeria is sponsoring the second division of the league, a league that has never gotten sponsorship in the country.

Sports

NDG: Rivers Coach Appeal To NDDC In Talent Discovery

Published

3 days ago

February 27, 2026

The Tide

Rivers State Chess coach Nnamso Umoren has appealed to relevant authorities, most especially the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), to provide funds for scouting of hidden talents at the grassroots.

He stated that lack of funds is hindering most coaches from doing what they are expected to do; hence, they don’t have enough money to travel to rural areas to discover talents.

Umoren made the appeal in an exclusive interview with Tidesports yesterday, in Benin, Edo State, shortly after the second edition of the Niger Delta Games drew her curtains closed.

According to him, without coaches no athlete can perform better, as coaches are the ones that teach athletes the techniques and rudiments of every sport.

“I appeal to the commission to support the coaches with funds to enable them to go to the areas and discover talents. Lack of funds for coaches limits the extent to which they can move around within the state in search of talents.

“I am of the general opinion that without coaches, athletes cannot perform better; hence, the coaches teach them the rudiments of the sports,” Umoren said.

The Chess coach called on the Rivers State government to organise tournaments in the State to know the strength of athletes discovered, saying that will improve sporting activities in the State.

However, he commends NDDC, who are the major sponsors of NDG, and Dumamis Icon Limited for close to perfect organisation.

Tonye Orabere

Sports

Rivers Sports Director Rates Niger Delta Games High

Published

3 days ago

February 27, 2026

The Tide

The Rivers State Director of Sports, Obia Inyingikabo has that the just concluded second edition of the Niger Delta Games, held in Benin, Edo State, was very impressive and well organised.

She commended both the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and Dumamis Icon Limited for the sponsorship and organisation respectively.

According to her, the problem of the team was the epileptic situation of shuttle buses, which was not under the direct control of the sports council.

Inyingikabo said this in a telephone interview with Tidesports yesterday; she confirmed that apart from the poor transport system for athletes, every arrangement went successfully as planned.

The director praised her athletes for making the State proud by winning gold, silver, and bronze medals during the games. She assured the people of Rivers State that in the next edition they will perform better and also used the opportunity to commend Rivers State promoting sports in the State.

Tonye Orabere

Sports

Treat Bees, Silkworms As Valuable Resources – Don

Published

3 days ago

February 27, 2026

The Tide

A Professor of Applied Entomology and Pest Management, at the Federal University of Technology Akure,(FUTA), Olufunmilayo Oladipo, has said insects such as bees ,houseflies silkworms and similar species should be seen and treated as valuable resources whose careful management could enhance food security, generate income, support industrial applications, and contribute significantly to Nigeria’s economic diversification.

Prof. Oladipo made the remark while delivering the 193rd Inaugural Lecture of the institution on Tuesday, February 24, 2026.

Citing the honeybee as a prime example, Oladipo noted that beyond honey production, bees provide beeswax, royal jelly, propolis and venom used in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, while their pollination services significantly increase crop yields and biodiversity.

She also referenced silkworms, whose silk supports textile industries and export earnings, as well as black soldier flies and houseflies, locusts, grasshoppers, mealworms and crickets which are increasingly used in the production of high-protein livestock and aquaculture feeds, thereby reducing dependence on expensive imported feed ingredients.

Speaking on the topic, “Six-Legged Arthropods: Food Security, Health and National Economic Development,” Professor Oladipo highlighted the multiple contributions of insects to national development in a monolithic economy like Nigeria, where over-dependence on crude oil has limited diversification.

She pointed out that insects serve as food for humans and feed for livestock, provide income for households through apiculture, sericulture, and insect-based enterprises, and supply raw materials for pharmaceutical and industrial uses. Beneficial insects also enhance food security through nutrient recycling, biological control of harmful species and weeds, and pollination of crops and horticultural plants, resulting in bumper harvests and increased biodiversity.

Professor Oladipo further mentioned termites and dung beetles for their role in nutrient recycling and soil aeration, improving soil fertility and agricultural productivity. Ladybird beetles and parasitic wasps, she explained, serve as natural biological control agents, reducing populations of destructive pests without harming the environment.

In the area of public health, Oladipo declared that though “the economic toll of insect vectors is staggering, stretching from the household to national economy, thereby undermining productivity, draining family resources, and constraining national growth, certain insects negatively affect agriculture, public health, and livelihoods”.

The professor pointed to the importance of understanding mosquitoes and other disease vectors such as tsetse flies, whose management is critical in combating malaria, yellow fever, dengue, sleeping sickness and other vector-borne diseases that weaken workforce productivity and strain national resources.

She cited data showing that malaria alone costs Africa over 12 billion dollars annually in healthcare expenditures, lost productivity, and reduced investment. Beyond mortality, she emphasized, insect-borne diseases also contribute to morbidity, chronic disability, and reduced workforce efficiency, imposing heavy burdens on families, health systems, and national economies.

She referenced maggot therapy, currently practiced in teaching hospitals in Kano, as a safe and effective treatment for chronic diabetic wounds adding that bioactive compounds from fungus-insect complexes such as Bombyx batryticatus and Beauveria bassiana, which have been developed into medicines with anticonvulsant, anticancer, antifungal, anticoagulant, and hypolipidemic properties.

Weaver ants, bee venom, and cantharidin from blister beetles, she stated, also possess therapeutic value, including immune-boosting, anti-diabetic, anti-arthritic, and antiviral applications. She maintained that strategic government investment in entomotherapy could strengthen healthcare delivery, reduce pharmaceutical import dependence, save lives, and support national economic diversification.

According to her, these examples demonstrate that insects are not merely pests to be eradicated but strategic biological assets that, if properly managed, can enhance food security, strengthen public health systems, generate employment, and support Nigeria’s economic diversification agenda.

The Agric expert noted however, that certain pest species continue to pose threats to agriculture and public health, thereby negatively affecting economic growth. She stressed that proper management, rather than indiscriminate eradication, is key to maximizing the benefits of these six-legged resources.

Professor Oladipo advocated integrated pest management strategies that prioritize environmentally friendly approaches, including botanicals, pheromones, biological control agents, growth regulators, and semiochemicals, while minimizing the use of broad-spectrum synthetic insecticides.

She warned that excessive reliance on chemicals has resulted in resistance, environmental pollution, and harm to non-target organisms. She also called for stricter regulation of pesticide importation and usage under professional supervision, and for stronger surveillance by regulatory authorities to prevent the introduction of exotic pest species.

To strengthen Nigeria’s capacity in entomology, she urged the government to support insect rearing and the conservation of beneficial species and to establish more Departments of Entomology in universities.

On the benefits of insects, she stressed the need for shifting societal perceptions and promoting sustainable practices, calling for stronger linkages between universities and industries to translate research findings into practical applications and commercial opportunities.

Professor Oladipo further appealed for increased funding for research and for targeted support for brilliant but indigent students in science-based disciplines, emphasizing that nurturing the next generation of entomologists and agricultural scientists is critical for national development.

Presenting the inaugural lecturer, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Adenike Oladiji, FAS, who was represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Development), Professor Sunday Oluyamo, described Professor Oladipo as a distinguished scholar whose research has significantly advanced the field of entomology and strengthened FUTA’s academic and research profile.

The Vice Chancellor who described the lecture as ‘timely’, given Nigeria’s challenges in food security, public health, and economic diversification, commended the inaugural lecturer’s scholarly depth, resilience, and dedication to mentoring students, reaffirming FUTA’s commitment to research that addresses pressing national development priorities.