Sports
Association Calls For Rehabilitation Of Squash Facility
The Niger State Squash Association (NSSA) has appealed to the state government to rehabilitate its dilapidated and abandoned squash court in Minna.
Chairman NSSA Malam Usman Babujee, made the call in Minna as part of the activities marking the 2019 World Squash Day on Monday in Minna.
“The only squash court we have now is not only in very bad condition but dangerous to our players that train there on daily basis.
“I therefore make a passionate appeal to the government to help us fix the court as it is the pride of our association,” he said.
Tidesports source reports that the chairman’s appeal came against the backdrop of near collapse of the squash court in the state capital.
Babujee said that the facility was the only court available to squash players in the state, hence the need to recondition it.
“The squash court is very essential in the development of the game, especially on the initiative of catching them young at the grassroots,” he said.
A member of the squash club, Mr Olufemi Martin, told newsmen that he had stopped using the court long ago owing to the dilapidated nature of the facility.
Tidesports also reports that the state government was currently developing a multi-million naira sports complex which has the capacity of hosting any world championship at Bahago round-about in Minna.
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.
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