Sports
Netball ‘Project 2027’ Sets Higher Target
As part of their goal of bringing the game of netball to the attention of one million Nigerian school children, the organisers of ‘Project 2027’ have resolved to take their quest for the higher visibility of netball to the next level by setting a target of training and equipping 300 teachers and community youths in netball in Nigeria this year 2026.
Though, the recently held Africa Netball Cup in Malawi suggests that netball is gradually becoming an inclusive sport at the continental level, the main focus of ‘Project 2027’ would still be to take netball to the girl child because it is originally their sport.
Furthermore, playing netball in a safe environment is likely to keep them engaged in a sport that they enjoy beyond their teenage years.
In ‘Project 2027’ last training event in Udu Local Council of Delta State in October 2025, 58 teachers were trained, which takes the number of trained teachers and community youths to 511.
According to the organisers, “Project 2027” netball training has been held in nine states (Edo, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Ondo, Cross River, Enugu, Taraba and Rivers).
“These training events which are usually free for all attendees is organised by CSED (Community Sports and Educational Development) Initiative and some of their partners like the Francis and Fidelia Ibhawoh Foundation, Sports Commissions and Ministry of Education in the respective states.
The organisers stated that Bayelsa State Government was a trailblazer in singlehandedly sponsoring the netball training event that was held in Otuoke in September 2025.
“This is a clear indication that the state wants to be the number one netball playing state in Nigeria.
Furthermore, Tare Pet Montessori Group of Schools and CSED Initiative jointly piloted the “Sporting Coders” programme in 2024. The school is also one of the two schools in Nigeria that has a functioning male netball team.”
To Cornelius Ehimiaghe, a sport for change advocate, mobilising members of the Naija Netball Stakeholders (NNS) in promoting the growth of netball at the grassroots level in Nigeria is a call to national duty.
“We have no choice, we cannot wait. It is a tough task, which has been made tougher by some sports administrators at the national level. We will keep trying, we will keep pushing the boundary in our efforts to promote the rights of Nigerian children to play netball on their own terms, and not an imposed term. We will beg, we will borrow, but we will not steal in our bid to revive the game of netball in Nigeria. Lord’s Taverners our major kits and equipment supporter may have folded up, but they did not leave us as orphans. In their last week of operation, they donated 2,200kg of sports kits and equipment to us.”
“In the past two months, we have been discussing with sporting and educational authorities in the states we have identified as potential host of our netball training events.
“Just as we have also identified some relevant NGOs and corporate organisations we are going to partner with in order to deliver better training event experience for our attendees. While availability of fund remains our biggest challenge in rolling out more netball training events, we have adjusted our funding mechanism by getting onboard NGO partners and Sports Commissions who will be willing to co-sponsor our netball training events. Thus, ensuring that our training standard is maintained.”
According to an official, attendees would be expected to take responsibility for subsequently producing netball training bibs for their students.
“The only exception would be for training events that are going to be held for members of displaced communities and Ogoja. As we have an obligation to foot the training events bills of residents of vulnerable communities. We have trained four Cameroonian refugees as netball coaches. They are expected to play an invaluable role in the training of 30 teachers in the Ogoja and surrounding areas in March this year.”
“The NNS (Naija Netball Stakeholders) also hope to encourage the holding of more netball competitions at the state level and encouraging the formation of more netball associations at the state level. Also, some Netball Africa certified coaches would be supported to hold refresher training for some teachers, as well as for clusters of new schools in the community. NNS also hope to encourage the netball community in Nigeria to back the online bid to get netball included in the 2032 Olympic Games in Brisbane, Australia.
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.
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.”
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.
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