News

SWAN, Heritage Times To Produce Special Compendium For Nigerian Legends

Published

1 month ago

November 1, 2023

SMI

The Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) has entered talks with the Heritage Times HT, a notable global media platform to advance the course of grassroots sports development in the country.

This was as the leadership of both organisations met in Abuja to discuss other areas of partnerships including finding ways of ensuring that the memory of active and late Nigerian sports icons are preserved through a well-harmonised compendium.

SWAN President, Mr. Isaiah Benjamin, who led a courtesy visit to the Heritage Times HT headquarters in Abuja, commmded its Publisher, Mr. Moses Siloko Siasia, for his determination and enviable contributions in the media which have yielded gainful engagements for teeming Journalists including sporting media professionals.

“You have continued to manifest as a shining light in both the media industry and other sectors within Nigeria and beyond. We are also aware of so many initiatives he has embarked upon to tap the potentials of young Nigerians. Indeed, such efforts reduce the pressure on the government to engage the young population. We can only urge you not to relent.

“It’s our desire to partner your organisation to do what you ordinarily have passion for in the area of discovery and empowerment of talented Nigerians. And there’s no other better means of engaging the youth meaningful other than using Sports as a tool.

“So, we are ready to go all the way with you and make more impacts across the country,” the President told Mr. Siasia who is also the Chairman of Nigerian Young Professionals Forum (NYPF) and owner of AfriHeritage Magazine.

Responding, Mr. Siasia pledged his readiness to partner SWAN in using sports as a leading employer of labour across the globe to unify Nigerians through timely and regular use of media channels.

He said his organisations were ready to offer the needed support in strengthening the unity of the country through sporting tournaments in the grassroot, especially in identified regions as a way of advocating peace.

He said, “We should be thinking about how we can partner in grassroot football, basketball competitions, sensitisation programmes and other areas of sports.

“This should be open to the vulnerable, people who are exceptionally talented but lack the means. This should be a means to support them to achieve their dreams and aspirations.

“Also, in Niger Delta, North East, South East and other parts of the country, we can use sporting activities to foster unity among the people in these regions prone to crisis. It is tool that brings everyone together in the table of peace so we must not neglect that.

On the proper documentation of the memory of late and living sports legends, Mr. Siasia stated that energy should be deployed in preserving the memories of legends of the 70s, 80s and 90s, adding, “You can do this so that our people can read and study. It is a way preserving their history for the selfless services they offered to our country, the likes of Samson Siasia, Finidi George, Jay Jay Okocha, Kanu Nwankwo, Rashidi Yekini and those before them.

“We are ready to support all efforts to keep their memory alive and this is the best we can do to appreciate them.”

While urging the sports journalists to use their pen to drive awareness and sell the Nigerian brand, especially the national premiership so that it can form a talking point in public discourse, Mr. Siasia tasked the sports journalist to work tirelessly to leave legacy for which they will be remembered for at all times.

On his part, SWAN Secretary-General, Amb. Ikenna Okonkwo, also thanked Mr. Siasia for his burning passion in driving youth development even beyond the shores of Nigeria.

News

Egypt Confirm As Host Of 2027 African Games

Published

30 mins ago

December 5, 2023

SMI

The Association of National Olympic Committee of Africa (ANOCA) awarded Egypt the hosting rights for the 2027 African Games, the Egyptian Ministry of Youth and Sports announced on Tuesday morning.

The African Games, formally known as the All-Africa Games or the Pan African Games, are a continental multi-sport event held every four years.

The announcement was made by ANOCA on Monday, in which they confirmed that the 2027 African Games would be the African qualifiers for the LA 2028 Olympic Games.

Six-time winners of the tournament, Egypt, previously hosted the African Games once in 1991, winning the title at the time.

News

3rd Ikpeba Football Challenge Warri ‘2023 begins Dec. 20

Published

32 mins ago

December 5, 2023

SMI

The 3rd edition of the Victor Ikpeba Football Challenge Warri ‘2023 has been scheduled to hold at the Army Children, School, Effurun, Warri, Delta State from Thursday December 20 to Saturday, 22, 2023.

According to the General Coordinator of the event, Mr. Dapo Sotuminu, the sponsor and initiator of the grassroot tournament, the 1997 African Footballer of The Year, Victor Ikpeba, the champion’s prize for the Ikpeba 2023 Football Challenge has been increased to two hundred and fifty thousand (N250,000). The winners, aside from the cash prize will also be presented with a giant trophy and gold medals.

While the first runners up will go home with a cash prize of N125,000, silver trophy and silver medals, while the third placed team will go home with N100,000, a trophy and bronze medals. And the fourth placed team N75,000.

Four individual awards will be presented to the best players in the tournament : the Most Valuable Player, Best Defender, Best Goalkeeper and Highest Goal Scorer will all be presented with plagues.

The four semi final teams will be presented with the Victor Ikpeba Football Tournament branded / customised jerseys.

The initiator of the tournament, Victor Ikpeba, noted that, the increased prize monies, were approved to further encourage the youth players’ participants in the tournament and also ensure that the players have a wonderful Christmas celebration.

News

Football Stakeholders commit to FIFA’s new initiatives for talent discovery

Published

1 day ago

December 4, 2023

SMI

There was palpable enthusiasm and avowed commitment to new initiatives on talent discovery and nurturing as a stakeholder workshop on FIFA Talent Development Scheme took Nigeria’s federal capital, Abuja by storm on Thursday.

NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi opened the workshop by expounding on the theme, saying the FIFA Talent Development Scheme is designed to discover football talents from the grassroots, which is truly a key component of the vision of the Ibrahim Musa Gusau-led NFF administration. “This is a welcome development for Federations like our own that are interested in growing the game from the grassroots. This workshop has the objective of enlightening all stakeholders on the scheme and to let them know the various aspects in which they have to support the Federation and where the Federation will support them.”

Dignitaries and stakeholders included a representative of Sports Development Minister, Senator John Enoh; Director General of the National Institute for Sports, Professor Olawale Morounkola; Member of the House Committee on Sports, Hon. Aminu Balele Kurfi; President of the NFF, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau; NFF’s two vice presidents Chief Felix Anyansi Agwu and Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye; Chairman of NFF Technical Committee, Alhaji Sharif Rabiu Inuwa; former NFF Board Member, High Chief Emeka Inyama; representatives of chairmen of the Senate Committee on Sports in both houses of the National Assembly; chairmen and secretaries of the State Football Associations; NFF Management and Staff; eminent coaches; former Nigeria international players including Dr. Olusegun Odegbami; former General Secretaries of the NFF Ambassador Fanny Amun and Barr. Musa Amadu; chieftains of the various Leagues; Super Falcons’ captain Onome Ebi; proprietors of leading football academies; sports marketing gurus and; prominent media personalities.

Gusau used the opportunity to espouse his Vision 2030 with so much passion and assurance, and charged the stakeholders that they no longer have any option than to do the hard lifting of discovering talent from the grassroots and nurturing them, with world football-governing body, FIFA’s decision to organize annually the FIFA U17 World Cup (male and female) from the year 2025.

“You can now see that we have no alternative to doing the hard work, and to do the work we have been elected to do with great energy, enthusiasm and diligence. The ethos of discipline, dedication and integrity must be enthroned, and we must commit to eliminating the scourge of age cheating at youth level.”

FIFA High Performance specialists Abdul Faisal Chibsah and Amit Desai expatiated further on the scheme, and pledged that FIFA will monitor the scheme globally for sincerity, credibility and sustainability.

NFF Technical Director and former Nigeria captain and coach, Augustine Eguavoen, explained the NFF’s long-term talent discovery plan and its strategic focus areas.

Odegbami, as well as Professor Morounkola, Coaches Isah Ladan Bosso and Sam John Obuh as well as former NFF scribes Amun and Amadu reported the positions of breakout groups, with emphasis on discovering truly young talents that will be nurtured through a sustainable process to keep Nigeria at the top of the global tree in U17 football.