Sports
Golden Eaglets Depart Nigeria For Niger Republic
The Golden Eaglets are ex
pected to depart the country this week for Niamey, Niger Republic, ahead of the 11th African U-17 Championship scheduled to kick-off on February 15.
The Secretary-General of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA), Musa Amadu,said this in Abuja on Wednesday that adequate security arrangement had been made to escort the team from Sokoto to Niamey.
He said that Mohammed Sanusi, NFA’s Director of Competitions would lead the delegation of 21 players.
“Our first game is on Sunday, February 15 against Niger Republic and we are confident that even though Niger is playing at home, we will be able to win this game.
“We know that Niger Republic, just few days ago, played a friendly match with South Africa, which they lost 0-1 in Niamey.
“We are trying to get the tape of that game so that we look at how their team is.
“We are confident that when we play these three matches in the first round, we should be able to get to the semifinals and that guarantees us a place in the World Cup later this year in Chile.
“Two years ago in Marrakech, Morocco, we lost the final to Cote d’ Ivoire, but we want to go to Chile as African Champions and that is the target and objective of the team.“
According to him, the team’s preparation coupled with the harsh weather condition in Sokoto will be enough to see the team to the end.
Amadu explained that none of the players that failed the Magnetic Resonance Imagery (MRI) test was included on the final 21-man list for the championship.
He said: “A group of 60 players were put on the MRI test, which was done at the National Hospital, but a few of them failed.
“Those that failed were not included on the 2-man list, which we have already submitted to CAF since Feb. 7.
It was reported that the Eaglets, who are expected to travel to Niamey by road, have been in Sokoto for nearly 10 days now for the last phase of training in preparation for the championship.
The team is expected to be lodged at the Royal Palace Hotel in Niamey.
The top division games climaxed at the Tafawa Balewa Square Oval, while the division one games were rounded off at the UNILAG Oval.
Rising Stars Cricket Club capped a phenomenal season by claiming the premier division title, finishing at the top of the Super Six standings with nine points after four wins and one no result from five matches.
They edged out last year’s champions, Island Titans Cricket Club, who had been undefeated in the league stage, recording a perfect eight wins from eight matches.
Ibeju Lekki Cricket Club 1 also put up a spirited campaign, securing third position in the Super Six phase.
beju Lekki Cricket Club 1 also put up a spirited campaign, securing third position in the Super Six phase.
In a fierce battle for survival, Government College Ughelli Old Boys and Ibadan Metropolitan Cricket Club finished at the bottom of the premier division and were relegated to division one for the 2025/2026 season.
After an intense campaign in division one, Rocks Cricket Club of Abeokuta emerged as league champions and also secured their promotion with a dramatic one-wicket victory over Lagos Rangers Cricket Club on the final day to leapfrog their rivals on net run rate.
Hot on their heels were Super Eagles Cricket Club, who also posted four wins in the Super Six, finishing with an identical eight points as Rocks. Their aggregate performance in the full league season, including seven wins from 12 matches, confirmed their promotion to the premier division.
With a total of 22 teams across the two divisions, the CCC league was hailed by stakeholders as the heartbeat of cricket in Southwest Nigeria.
The Federal Government has been urged to partner with private organisations to bridge the funding gap in grassroots sports development, particularly football, across the country.
Speaking at the finals of the Honourable Rasheed Super Cup held last Thursday, June 12, the organiser, Rasheed Alao emphasised the untapped football talent across Nigeria, saying inadequate financing remains a major setback to nurturing local talents.
He stressed that while government involvement is essential, the private sector must also play a key role.
“I realised that we have a lot of talent in this country, but there’s still a huge gap. This field wasn’t like this before. I commend the authorities for their efforts so far, but more still needs to be done, especially in terms of financing.”
“It’s not necessary for the government to handle all the financing directly. Around the world, where football thrives, you will find the hands of technocrats and private organisations involved. If we continue to sideline them, government alone cannot shoulder the burden.”
According to him, partnerships between the public and private sectors will not only advance sports development but also shift public mentality away from overreliance on government.
In a broader message, Alao noted that the event was also held in commemoration of June 12, a day he described as significant in Nigeria’s democratic journey.
He said young people, especially in Lagos, were awakened to the responsibilities of preserving national history and identity.
“We all know today is an important day in Nigeria’s history,” he stated. “As youths of the Lagos chapter, we are awake because we are part of both the old and the new Nigeria. We see the gap and miscommunication between the elite, middle, and lower classes, and we are working to bridge that gap by raising awareness.”
He however called on Nigerian youths to take ownership of the country’s future by engaging with its past.
The Super Cup final match was played at the Ladoja Primary School Stadium between Harmony FC and Adwaaik Sports Academy.
The encounter ended 2-2 in regulation time, forcing a penalty shootout in which Adwaaik Sports Academy triumphed 4-1 to lift the trophy.
The newly appointed Director-General of the National Institute for Sports, Comrade Philip Shaibu, has announced plans for a comprehensive overhaul of the institute as part of efforts to reposition Nigeria’s sports development system.
Shaibu, who assumed office last Monday, said the mandate given to him by President Bola Tinubu was to carry out major reforms in line with the administration’s ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda.
“What is critical is that we need a total overhaul of the institute. The mandate given to me is to come here and carry out a major reform with the ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda of Mr President. I think this structure needs renewed hope,” the former Edo State deputy governor stated during an inspection of the NIS facilities.
The new DG expressed shock at the level of decay in some parts of the institute, which was established in 1974 to improve Nigeria’s performance in international sporting competitions.
“The NIS is the engine room of Nigeria sports. If the NIS is sleeping, Nigeria sports is sleeping.
That is why our sports have not been moving forward,” Shaibu said.
He promised to end the culture of celebrating mediocre performances at international competitions, particularly the Olympics.
“Nigeria cannot be a giant of Africa in terms of size and economy and each time we go to international competitions, we’re not on the medals table. Each time we go to the Olympics, the silver medal becomes like gold for us, and so, it’s obvious that we need a lot of work to be done,” he said.
Shaibu, who officially took over from Professor Olawale Moronkola, represented by Omonode Christyne, Head of Department of Coaching and Training, expressed confidence that a reformed NIS would restore Nigeria’s winning ways in international competitions.
“The quality of your coaches and managers will determine what you can do at the Olympics. The mandate given to me is total reform of the NIS, and I am grateful to President Bola Tinubu for his great vision for Nigeria sports,” he stated.
Shaibu emphasised the economic potential of sports, describing it as a goldmine that could create massive employment opportunities for Nigerian youths.
“We have to rebrand the NIS to attract stakeholders. Sports is a goldmine. It is more than the oil we have in Nigeria. During my tenure as Deputy Governor in Edo State, I came to realise that football, handball and a few sports can take more than 50 million of our youths from the labour market. We need to do something fast,” Shaibu said.