Sports

Athletes Shun Akure League Over Prize Money

Published

12 years ago

May 14, 2014

Some track and field
athletes have threatened to boycott the Nigeria Athletics Federation (AFN) organised Golden League scheduled for Akure.
The athletes told newsmen in Lagos that the prize money for the two previous competitions in Abuja and Ilorin had not been paid.
The AFN’s league is organised every two weeks in different states to harness talents for national assignments.
The winner of the first position is to earn N40,000 and the second N30, 000, while the third and fourth positions are to get N20, 000 and N15,000 respectively.
The fifth placed athlete is to earn N10,000 and the sixth to get N5,000, while the first place winners in relay are to get N30,000, second N25, 000 and third N20,000.
Temidayo Oshunbanjo runs 100m hurdles, Eze Anayo who does 800m and Abike Egbeniyi for 1,500m women.
The athletes, who claimed to be speaking for their colleagues, said they were tired of unfulfilled promises by the organisers over their outstanding prize monies.
Oshunbanjo, a gold medalist from the Abuja event in April said: “As a professional, I am supposed to live from my career and not promise.
“From the kick-off of the league in Abuja, no prize money has been given to anybody, we all expected the money at the Ilorin event two Saturdays ago but to no avail.
“The Akure event will be a show down on individual basis devoid of conspiracy, the athletes are poised to down tool to drive home their demand,” Oshunbanjo said.
Anayo, also a gold medalist in the 800m of the league at Ilorin said: “We have had enough of their unfulfilled promises and we don’t live on pledges, they should pay us now.
“The consternation you see us express cut across the ranks of the participating athletes, it is quite regrettable that such a thing is happening now,” Anayo said.
Egbeniyi, a bronze medalist of the competition said that AFN should make the welfare of athletes their topmost priority.
“With the feelings around the athletes only all-comers will be at the Akure event.
“The professional athletes are tired of misleading promises from the organisers and will not be part of the third leg of the league in Akure unless we are paid,” she said.
Meanwhile, Uruemu Adu, Assistant Secretary, Athletes Coaches Association, said the issue of athletes prize money had been resolved by the AFN and that they would be paid at Akure.
Adu told newsmen that there was an issue about who should be handed over the cheque.
“The issue has been resolved by AFN without the knowledge of the athletes, the initial problem had to do with who should AFN hand over the cheque to.
“Because the coaches are entitled to some percentage of the prize money,’’ Adu said.
He said the federation was using the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) guideline of 25 per cent to coaches and 75 per cent for athletes to resolve the issue.
According to him, the issue was resolved after the Ilorin event with the athlete’s representative Falilat Ogunkoya.

Sports

Six Nigerians To Play For NBA Teams

Published

1 day ago

June 29, 2026

The Tide

Six Nigerians are among the over 10 players of African descent selected into various clubs in the 2026 NBA draft held on Saturday at the Barclays Centre, in Brooklyn, New York.

Among the new NBA draftees are Felix Okpara, Ebuka Okorie, Zubby Ejiofor, Otega Oweh, Tobi Lawal and Ugonna Onyenso.

Felix Okpara (selected 46th overall by the Orlando Magic) and Ugonna Onyenso (selected 53rd overall by the Houston Rockets) marked the second time that two players from Nigeria were selected in the same NBA Draft.

Onyenso is the third NBA Academy Africa alumnus and 15th NBA Academy alumnus overall to be drafted into the NBA.

Ebuka Okorie of Stanford University was the 17th overall pick by Oklahoma City Thunder as part of a planned trade.

In the arrangement, the Thunder will send the draft rights to Okorie to the Memphis Grizzlies who will send his draft rights to the Detroit Pistons).

Zuby Ejiofor was drafted from St John’s University as the 23rd overall by the Atlanta Hawks, just as Otega Oweh of the University of Kentucky was selected as the 41st overall pick by the Miami Heat, as part of a planned trade, which will see the Heat sending the draft rights to Oweh to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Oweh was named to the All-SEC Second Team by the league’s coaches in both seasons at Kentucky (2024-25, 2025-26).

He led the Wildcats in scoring (18.6 ppg) and steals (1.8 spg) as a senior in 2025-26 and also scored a career-high 35 points vs. Santa Clara in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. He is also the brother of Washington Commanders defensive end Odafe Oweh, a first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Felix Okpara of University of Tennessee, who was selected 46th overall by the Orlando Magic, earned 2025-26 SEC All-Defensive Team honors as a senior in his second season at the University of Tennessee.

He ranks second in programme history in blocks per game at 1.6 and is one of four Tennessee players to record multiple 50-block seasons.

Okpara finished third in the SEC in blocks during the 2024-25 season, averaging 1.7 per game, and ranked seventh in 2025-26 at 1.5 per game.

Prior to Tennessee, Okpara played two seasons at Ohio State and was in 2023-24, ranked 11th nationally in blocks, averaging 2.4 per game.

Okpara grew up playing football in Nigeria and picked up basketball shortly before moving to the U.S. in August 2018.

Tobi Lawal of Virginia Tech, who was selected 48th overall by the Dallas Mavericks, did not pick up a basketball until he was 16, growing up in London and starring for the City of London Academy before crossing the Atlantic.

At Lee Academy Prep, he was dominant, averaging 14.5 points, 11.4 rebounds, 3.0 blocks and 2.0 steals while shooting 67 per cent from the floor.

Ugonna Onyenso of the University of Virginia was selected 53rd overall by the Houston Rockets, but the Rockets will send his draft rights to the New York Knicks, who will then send his draft rights to the Detroit Pistons, marking the second time that two players from Nigeria were selected in the same NBA Draft.

Onyenso spent three years at NBA Academy Africa in Saly, Senegal, making him the third NBA Academy Africa alumnus and 15th NBA Academy alumnus overall to be drafted into the NBA.

At 17 years old, Onyenso became the youngest player ever to suit up for the Nigerian senior national team. The Owerri-born center first picked up basketball after a local coach pulled him away from soccer, then attended NBA Academy Africa before relocating to Putnam Science Academy in Connecticut.

Also in the latest NBA draft are AJ Dybantsa, who has ties to the Republic of the Congo and Jamaica, Nate Ament of Rwanda, who is the second player of Rwandan heritage to be drafted into the NBA after Frank Ntilikina, selected eighth overall by the New York Knicks in 2017.

Ghana’s Jack Kayil and Narcisse Ngoy of the Central African Republic are also among the new NBA intakes.

Sports

NPFL Warns Newly Promoted Clubs

Published

1 day ago

June 29, 2026

The Tide

The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), on Friday, warned newly promoted clubs that failure to meet the league’s licensing and infrastructure requirements could bar them from playing at home or even jeopardize their participation in the top flight.

The NPFL recalled that some clubs were relocated from their home venues last season after failing to meet the required standards.

The Chief Operating Officer of the NPFL, Davidson Owumi, disclosed this in Abuja, during an orientation and induction programme organised for the owners and general managers of the four newly promoted clubs ahead of the 2026/27 NPFL season.

He said the programme was designed to acquaint the clubs with the league’s operational procedures and club licensing requirements before the new season begins.

According to him, the early engagement provides clubs with enough time to address any shortcomings before the commencement of the season.

“The purpose is orientation and induction, to ensure they are acquainted with the basics of what we do in the NPFL and to break down the club licensing process so everyone understands what is expected.

“We still have plenty of time before the league starts. This is the appropriate time to acquaint them with what they will be facing. Those who cannot meet the requirements will know early enough.”

Owumi added that the league had yet to assess the newly promoted clubs for specific deficiencies, explaining that the current exercise was focused on education rather than evaluation.

“We are just interacting with them for the first time. We have not tested them in any way. After this education, if they are unable to meet the requirements in the coming weeks, then we will know those that are deficient.”

The NPFL chief stressed that the league would continue to enforce strict compliance with infrastructure standards, including stadium, security and medical requirements.

“Any club that does not meet the standard requirements will be moved from its home ground. We have always enforced these rules because professional football demands the right infrastructure.” Owumi said.

Speaking on behalf of one of the promoted clubs, Chairman of Sporting Lagos, Godwin Enakhena, described the orientation as timely and beneficial, saying it exposed participants to important aspects of the league’s operations that many may not have been aware of.

He said while some club officials had previous experience in the NPFL, the seminar remained valuable because learning in football administration is continuous.

Expressing confidence in the readiness of the promoted clubs, he noted that Sporting Lagos, Wikki Tourists, Barau FC and Doma United were not newcomers to the top flight and understood the demands of competing in the NPFL.

Enakhena said: “The day you stop learning and reading, then there’s a big problem. Even for me, there were issues discussed today that opened my mind. I would have been ignorant of those things if I wasn’t at this seminar.

“You don’t struggle to gain promotion and then you’re not ready for the battle. Based on my conversations with the other club managers, I can assure you the four teams are ready.”

Enakhena also welcomed the increasing number of privately owned clubs in the NPFL, describing it as a positive development for Nigerian football.

He said the success of privately run clubs would encourage more investors to enter the game and expressed hope that they would eventually make up the majority of clubs in the top division.

“I’m seeing more private clubs getting to the Premier League. Let’s have 70 per cent privately owned clubs and 30 per cent government clubs. That would be a fantastic development for Nigerian football.”

Sports

NSC Appoints Oluwafemiayo Nigeria’s Captain for 2026 Commonwealth Games

Published

1 day ago

June 29, 2026

The Tide

Team Nigeria has announced multiple Paralympic and world champion Folashade Oluwafemiayo as the captain of the nation’s contingent to the upcoming Commonwealth Games.

The decision reflects the team’s deliberate commitment to appointing a leader whose achievements, professionalism, and exemplary character embody the values of Nigerian sports.

Speaking on the appointment, Director General of the National Sports Commission, Hon. Bukola Olopade emphasized that the selection was intentional and based on merit.

“We are intentional about the selection of our team captain. Folashade Oluwafemiayo is the ideal choice, having consistently demonstrated exceptional professionalism, resilience, and excellence throughout her distinguished career. She is a multiple gold medalist, a former world champion, and one of Nigeria’s most decorated para athletes. Her leadership qualities and winning mentality make her an inspiration to every member of Team Nigeria.”

Oluwafemiayo has established herself as one of the world’s finest para powerlifters, winning multiple Paralympic, World Championship, and Commonwealth titles while setting world records. Her remarkable consistency on the international stage has made her a symbol of excellence in Nigerian sports.

Her appointment also recognizes the outstanding contributions of Nigeria’s para athletes, who have consistently delivered exceptional performances at major international competitions. Over the years, the country’s para athletes have been among Nigeria’s most successful ambassadors, accounting for a significant share of the nation’s medals at the Paralympic Games, Commonwealth Games, African Games, and World Championships.

Folashade is a four-time world champion and two time Olympic gold medalist.

In 2021, she won the gold medal in her event at the 2021 World Para Powerlifting Championships held in Tbilisi, Georgia. At the event, she also set a new world record of 152.5 kg.

She competed at the 2022 Commonwealth Games where she won a gold medal in the heavyweight event.

Team Nigeria heads to the Commonwealth Games with a blend of experienced champions and promising young talents across various sports, united by a shared determination to represent the nation with distinction.

The 2026 Commonwealth Games will take place in Glasgow, Scotland, from July 23 to August 2, 2026.

The NSC stated that Team Nigeria remains committed to excellence, discipline, sportsmanship, and the pursuit of podium finishes that will make the nation proud.