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Governing Bodies

EDO STATE SPORTS FESTIVAL GETS FEBRUARY 10-16 DATE

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A six-man committee has been put in place by the Edo State Government to prepare a road map for a successful outing of Team Edo during the forthcoming 20th National Sports Festival.

The sports fiesta tagged Edo 2020 is scheduled to hold in different centers in the ancient city of Benin City, Edo State from March 20 to April 4, 2020. 

Edo State Deputy Governor and Chairman, Local Organising Committee, Edo 2020, Philip Shaibu charged the committee headed by Godwin Dudu-Orumen, Chairman, Edo State Sports Commission to immediately put machinery in motion towards hosting the Third Edo State Sports Festival where a strong and formidable team will be put in place to represent the state during the National sports fiesta.  

According to the Deputy Governor,  “We must not fail, we are committing all  these  resources because we want to redefine national competitive sports in Nigeria. We are not just hosting, we are hosting to win and win clean and show the world what national sports festival should be.” 

He said the Third Edo State Sports Festival is not going to be a jamboree, rather, it is expected to serve as ground for talent hunt to discover young and fresh athletes to replace the tired and ageing ones.

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He further emphasised that ” no automatic ticket for anybody.  Every athlete, old or young has to compete for a place in the 32 sports lined up for the festival”.

In all, 32 sports including football and traditional sports will be competed for during the festival, starting from the 18 local government in the state to the zonal elimination in the three senatorial zones and finally to the state where the final athletes to represent the state will be selected in keenly competitive games. 

Main venue is the University of Benin Sports Complex aside other centers. 

Towards this end, the committee hit the ground running, meeting all through the weekend, brain storming.

The unity torch for the games is expected to start its movement in Igarra, capital of Akoko Edo this  Wednesday, January 15, from there to other local government areas of the state and terminate its journey in the metropolitan Oredo Local Government on Monday, January 20, 2020.

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The 18 local government chairmen are expected to receive the unity torch in their respective domain during the six days tour.  

The competition at the local government levels is expected to run for six days, January 23 through January 28, 2020.

The zonal elimination ( in the three senatorial zones) is from Saturday, February 1 to Tuesday, February 4th. Qualifiers from the zones are expected to arrive Benin on Monday, February 10 for the main festival and final selection.

This is expected to run till Sunday, February 16, 2020 when the festival is expected to be declared closed by Governor Godwin Obaseki.  

For a memorable sports fiesta, the committee has invited notable cultural troupes from the three senatorial zones of the state to entertain guests, athletes and officials during the opening and closing ceremonies. 

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The police band has been invited too to entertain. ” Security of guests, athletes and officials is guaranteed”; the committee chairman, Godwin  Dudu-Orumen assured.

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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Governing Bodies

Sanusi set for record-extending tenure as Nigeria’s football politicians assemble in Asaba

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BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

Speculations gathered ahead of the 2024 Annual General Meeting of the Nigeria Football Federation holding in Asaba on Friday have it that tenure elongation for the General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, is a major item on the agenda.

Neither formal confirmation nor denial has been issued since one of the leading newspapers in Nigeria, ThisDay dropped the hint.  

 The agenda of the meeting is also not made public. Dr, Sanusi is the longest-serving General Secretary in history having been in office from 30 March 2015 making 3,476 days or nine years six months and four days.

It easily drowned that of his closest rival in tenure – Sani Toro whose tenure from 21 December 1993 to 3 May  1999 is merely 2020 days or five years, six months and 12 days.

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 Thus, no one had enjoyed a longer period in office than the incumbent, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi.  It is speculated that the tenure will be extended as NFF has reported that all delegates have arrived in the Delta State capital by Thursday evening.

The NFF Annual General Assembly, the first of which took place 90 years ago in Lagos on 19 February 1934, is the biggest assemblage of football administrators and stakeholders in the country.

In one such meeting on 24 July 2008 in Makurdi, the football body changed its name from NFA to NFF.

This year, according to a press release by the NFF, the plenary will have in attendance, the chairmen and secretaries of football associations in the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory, chairmen and secretaries of the Nigeria Premier Football League, Nigeria National League, Nigeria Women Football League and the Nationwide League One, as well as chairmen and secretaries of the referees’ association, players’ union and coaches’ association. This group of 88 makes up the Congress.

 They are joined by the members of the NFF Executive Committee and the management team as well as former NFF Presidents and General Secretaries.

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The Minister of Sports Development, John Owan Enoh, is announced as the special guest. Nigeria’s Member of the FIFA Council, Amaju Melvin Pinnick is also expected as well as a representative of the West African Football Union (WAFU B).

The Governor of Delta State, Sheriff Francis Oborevwori will declare the General Assembly open. 

Venue is the Unity Hall of the Delta State Government House.

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Governing Bodies

Like in Egypt, former Nigerian Olympian, Sadiq Abdulahi wants Tinubu to declare ‘State of Emergency’ in Sports

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Former Nigerian tennis player and Olympian, Prof. Sadiq Abdulahi has called for drastic action to arrest the decline of Nigeria in global sporting events.

  The former tennis player who is now a professor in the United States declared that the “failure to win a medal at the regular 2024 Paris Olympics, the few medals at the Paris Paralympic and the fallout at the National Youth Sports Festival has exposed the deep problems facing the sport’s sector.”

  He wants Nigeria to have the same approach that the Egyptian president has taken while reacting to the country’s performance at the Paris 2024 Olypics.

Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi ordered  a comprehensive evaluation of sports federations that  participated at the Paris Olympic Games, following a mission report submitted by the country’s sports minister.

 According to Prof. Abdulahi, the National Sports Federations charged with the preparation of elite athletes have failed to do their job despite the cry for funding from the government.

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“Federal Government cannot adequately fund all the Olympics sports. It is impossible.

“By declaring a state of emergency, new people, new approaches and new funding models will be identified. More importantly, the Federal Government will redefine grassroots sports development.

“We will lay sustainable foundation for sports development.”

Continuing, he called for the return of the National Sports Commission (NSC) which enabling decree was abolished through Decree No. 7 of 1991, but came back through presidential proclamation under Sani Abacha before it was abolished again.

 The original NSC was established in 1964 as National Sports Council before the promulgation of Decree 34 of 1971 which legalised it as  the apex Federal Government agency to control, regulate and organize sports.

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  “The FG may now bring back the National Sports Commission or the National Sports Authority. Our emerging national economy with the full participation of the private sector can support this new beginning. I hope this helps.” 

RELATED STORY: President Al-Sisi orders sports system overhaul

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Governing Bodies

CAF gives Yoruba and Arabic interpretations of  ‘OLA’ the Super Cup 2024 Official Match Ball

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The Confédération African of Football, CAF, has given the linguistics interpretation of OLA, the confederation’s official match balls produced by Puma which has also unveiled a special edition for the Super Cup duel holding on Friday in Saudi Arabia.

According to CAF, OLA, symbolizing the dynamic and energetic nature of African football, means “wealth,” “honour,” and “respect” in Yoruba and “rise” and “success” in Arabic.

The OLA ball stands out with its vibrant design and cultural significance. “OLA” 

The ball is a mix of black and gold, representing power and sophistication. The ball will be the centrepiece of the eagerly-awaited match between the two giants of African football.

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