Sports
Kano SWAN Organises Fitness Walk For Journalists
The Kano State Chapter of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), will on Saturday organise a “fitness walk” for journalists in the state to improve their health.
The Chairman, Mr Mike Oboh, told Tidesports source in Kano that the objective was to keep newsmen fit and promote harmonious relationships among them.
Oboh said that more than 200 media men from different organisations would participate in the exercise.
According to him, the event will involve a three-kilometre walk for older journalists and a five-kilometre walk for the young.
The exercise, tagged, “Walk to Write”, Oboh said, would start from the Sani Abacha Stadium, Kano through Ibrahim Taiwo Way and terminate at the starting point.
Oboh said various prizes would be given to the first top five in the male and female categories.
He added that the Federal Roads Safety Commission (FRSC) would provide road guide for the event.
Part of the programme, according to him, will be the investiture of Gov. Ibrahim Shekarau of Kano State as a national patron of SWAN.
Oboh thanked the government for its assistance to the association in particular and for sports development in the state.
He recalled that the government hosted the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup and sponsored journalists to the last FIFA World Cup and the Nations Cup in South Africa and Angola respectively.
Meanwhile,a medical practitioner, Dr Sam Ogbondemimu, on Friday in Lagos, stressed the importance of every person to maintain healthy lifestyles, especially athletes.
Ogbondemimu observed that athletes, like many Nigerians, paid little attention to their health.
The doctor, who heads the Medical Unit of the National Institute for Sports (NIS), blamed poverty for the scant attention paid to healthy by Nigerian athletes.
“It has been discovered that most active athletes pay little or no attention to their health because many came from poor backgrounds and want to save the little money they make just to survive.
“Some of them are bread winners of their families. they do all manners of things to make money with their God-given talents,” he said.
The Nigeria Football Federation has defended the recent quarter-finals draw for the 2025 President Federation Cup, saying it was conducted in line with best global practices.
A member of the NFF Executive Committee Board, George Aluo, stated that criticism over venues for the quarterfinals was unfortunate.
Going by the fixtures released on Saturday by the football body, Abakaliki FC will take on Nasarawa United in Benin, Wikki Tourists will clash with Ikorodu City in Bwari, Abuja, Akwa United and Kwara United will fight it out in Enugu, just as Area 3, Abuja, will host the encounter between Rangers International and Plateau United. All matches are scheduled for May 3rd for the emergence of semifinalists in a leg affair.
However, there have been criticisms over the Ikorodu United vs Wikki Tourist tie billed for Abuja, with a section of the press saying the venue is skewed in favour of the Bauchi team.
Aluo, also the Chairman of the Nigeria National League (NNL), said: “Some of our media men need better education, and newsmen should not be like the fans out there on the streets. In the English FA Cup, it is always a one-legged pairing that can see a club like Arsenal host Manchester United at home”.
A new contract that will see Act Sports Di Oyibo Limited managing the career of Nigerian teqball specialist, Victor Oyemade, has been signed in Lagos.
The deal gives exclusive rights to Act Sports to manage, and exercise power of attorney over issues relating to the player’s welfare as it concerns his transactions, engagement for professional, promotional, sponsorships, endorsements, and exhibition purposes.
In signing the document, both parties also agreed that proper safeguards would be put in place to protect and promote the player’s interest at all times.
Director of Act Sports, Di Oyibo Limited, Pastor Samuel Robinson Oyibo, excited about the deal, said it would benefit both parties in the area of spreading the message of the sport, as well as laying a firm foundation for his new client’s future.
“Teqball is one of the world’s fastest-growing ball sports, and Victor Oyemade is the face of the sport here in Nigeria and Africa. That is why we are excited about this partnership that gives Act Sports official authorisation to manage his career, just as it will lay the foundation for its rapid growth in our country,” Pastor Oyibo said.
Oyemade was no less excited about the deal, saying it would help his growth in the sport.
Coaches of Nigeria’s U-18 and U-20 women’s handball teams have released their final lists of 14 players ahead of the IHF Women’s Trophy Zonal Phase, which will be held in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, that commenced yesterday to end 24th of this month.
The two teams have been training at the Rowe Park Sports Centre, Yaba, Lagos, for close to two weeks and departed for the competition on Thursday.
Coach John Uzor of the national U-18 team has included Omole Joy of Defender Babes and her sister Omole Shola alongside Ojie Princess of Funad Academy alongside right back Faisat Balogun in the mix while Success Duru, Chetachi Ngaodurubie of COAS Babes and Sharon Okonkwo make the cut, amongst other players.
In the U-20 team, Coach Shittu Agboola has largely stuck with the players he has been grooming since their U-18 days. The team is led by Captain Chidera Ogbusimba alongside, her Rima Queens teammates the Samuel Sisters, Amina Mohammed and Joy Peters.
Israel-based Rahima Bello, Kehinde Babatunde of ASPAC HBC of Benin Republic and Esther Mathew, who is also based in Benin Republic, keep their places.
Coach Shittu believes his team will make Nigeria proud just as they did previously at the U-18 level.
“I am really upset that Taiwo Babatunde will not be part of the team for this competition as her school, Yaba College of Technology, insisted that they will not release her for national service because of examinations.
“We did everything humanly possible to secure her release and they didn’t care that it is a national service for the interest of Nigeria and the growth of sports. We have other players who are also students and they got a release from their schools but for no tangible reason, Yabatech refused to release Taiwo despite the fact that we did everything possible to secure her release. It’s sad and I hope the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Sports Commission will work in tandem so that schools will support our goal in making Nigeria proud in sporting events”.