Sports
OAU Hosts Hockey Tournament
The Nigerian Universities Games Association (NUGA) will organise a hockey competition at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun.
The event which commenced yesterday will end on Thursday, Chairman of Technical Committee, Mr Nick Igbokwe, has said.
Igbokwe told Tidesports source in Aba at the weekend that the competition was part of the association’s efforts at promoting sports activities on university campuses.
“The competition is aimed at developing hockey in Nigerian universities and to sensitise OAU; the community that is hosting NUGA games in 2012.
“The competition, being sponsored by Hotlink Communications, Industrial General Insurance and other corporate bodies, is aimed at ending the draught in active sports by the students,’’ he said.
Igbokwe said that 13 universities had indicated interest to participate in the all male competitions.
According to him, the institutions include University of Ibadan, University of Benin, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; Federal University of Technology, Owerri; Federal
University of Technology, Minna and University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
Others are University of Agriculture, Makurdi; Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso; Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijebu-Ode; University of Agriculture, Abeokuta;, Adekunle Ajasin University, Ondo and University of Maiduguri.
Commending NUGA council for approving the competition, Igbokwe said the champions would go home with a gold trophy, runners up with silverware and third position; a bronze trophy.
He said that there was also prizes for highest goal scorer, most valuable player and best behaved team.
Iwobi spoke to Tidesports source ahead of Nigeria’s crunch playoff semi-final against Gabon on Thursday, November 13, in Rabat, Morocco.
The 28-year-old was reacting to Nigeria’s shaky World Cup qualifying campaign that saw the Eagles finish second in Group C behind South Africa’s Bafana Bafana.
“We’ve managed to rescue ourselves from the dead,” Iwobi told Tidesports source.
We know we have the players and the abilities to compete against any other country in the world.”
The Fulham star pointed to Nigeria’s star power, highlighting African Footballer of the Year winners Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen as proof of the squad’s quality.
“We have last year’s African best player (Ademola Lookman), the year before that (Victor Osimhen),” he said.
“It’ll be a shame if we don’t make it, but we have a lot of confidence. We just have to prove it to ourselves.”
Nigeria’s path to the United States, Canada and Mexico has been turbulent, with two coaches departing during the early stages of qualifying before Éric Chelle steadied the ship to steer the Super Eagles into November’s CAF playoffs.
Four nations from the continent – Nigeria, Cameroon, DR Congo and Gabon – will vie for a solitary spot to compete in next March’s inter-confederation playoffs, with a view to joining the already nine qualified African nations at the Finals.
It would mark Iwobi’s second appearance at the World Cup Finals and the Super Eagles’ first since the 2018 edition of the competition.
Back then, Iwobi featured in all three games as Nigeria was knocked out in the group stage.
The Chief Executive Officer(CEO) and Publisher of the Atlantic Bell Online medium, Mr. Celestine Ogolo has advised sports writers in Nigeria to diversify in sports writing and not to concentrate on football reporting alone.
The Deputy National President of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) Mr. Bonny Nyong has expressed commitment to support sports development and move SWAN forward.