Sports
South-West Zone Wants Nigerian Archery Reformed
Stakeholders from the South-West Archery Zone convened at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja to issue a call for reforms within the Nigeria Archery Federation February 17.
Led by the Chairman of the South-West Zone, S.A.K Shobayo, and secretary, Akintimehin Tundebabs, the meeting addressed critical concerns regarding the forthcoming Zen Archery Lagos National Open Championship and the impending Federation Congress slated to usher in a new executive board.
The communiqué released following the meeting outlined a series of grievances and demanded urgent action to address the state of archery in Nigeria.
The South-West Archery Zone highlighted several key issues, expressing dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs within the Nigeria Archery Federation. The major issue among their concerns was the need for transparency and accountability in the upcoming Federation Congress, scheduled for March 8 in Lagos.
The zone also expressed the importance of holding the election in Lagos to ensure the success of the Zen Archery Lagos National Open Championship and to facilitate continued development within the sport.
Additionally, stakeholders raised the alarm over the alleged failure of the outgoing executive board whose tenure ends March 10, citing a range of deficiencies, including the president’s absence from key events, lack of support for athletes, non-participation in national sporting events and inadequate efforts to promote and advance the sport.
The South-West also voiced concerns about the federation’s suspension and potential ban by the international body, attributing it to the ineffective performance of the outgoing president and the executives.
The communiqué called for a recommitment to the development and unity of archery in Nigeria, emphasising the critical need for effective leadership within the Nigeria Archery Federation.
“Most of the Games have always held in Lagos in the past, due largely to logistics convenience. But we have chosen to come to Rivers because the facilities are here and it is good for the reputation of Port Harcourt as the oil city of Nigeria.
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.