Nigeria Sports Arena

Holders of Nigeria Professional Football League title Akwa United Football Club have signed a shirt sponsorship contract with a foremost online betting company 1XBET. The contract will see the reigning NPFL Champions advertise 1XBET products and services during its league matches, and on its social media platforms and well as crest the company's logo on the front of its jersey in the 2022/2023 NPFL season. Chairman of Akwa United Elder Paul Bassey and Managing Director of 1XBET in Nigeria Dr. Oluwafemi Babalola put pen to paper on behalf of both brands during the official signing and unveiling of the partnership agreement at Marriott hotel, Ikeja on the 25th May 2022 in Lagos. Dr. Femi Babalola in his speech said, 1XBet is proud to identify with a leading brand like Akwa United. "We are delighted to partner with the champions of Nigeria Professional Football League Akwa United. As a leading betting company we only partner with the best brand". "Akwa United is a top c

The Federal Government has directed all relevant authorities to ensure that the necessary tests are carried out on all the athletes before the take off of contingents to the  Commonwealth Games holding in Birmingham, UK in July 2022. The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr. Sunday Dare gave the directive today at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja during a meeting held with the stakeholders of the 2022 Commonwealth Games (CWG) According to him, Nigeria will not hesitate to drop any athlete who attempts to tarnish the image of the country again. Dare who said that the countdown to the game has already started, with 60 days to the event, added that the Ministry is already working with the Nigerian Olympic Committee (NOC) to ensure that contingents' accommodation, camping, testing, ticketing and kits are adequately taken care of. Earlier in his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Alh. Ismaila Abubakar stated that nine Federations are already lined up to fly the

Water FC product, Nathaniel Nwosu has been named by Confederation of African Football (CAF)   as the best goalkeeper in the WAFU Tournament, that just finished in Niger Republic. Nathaniel Nwosu, 6.2 feet goalkeeper whose greatest strength is good timing of the ball, reflex, and as well agility in between the stick. No doubt, he is such a promising goalkeeper, having had a remarkable tournament in Niger Republic.  Nathaniel Nwosu, will gradually graduate to the Super Eagles in a short time. He has got all the quality needed as goalkeeper.  No doubt he is destined to be invited to the Super Eagles in the shortest time. His height, good communication skills with the defense line and above all, such a terrific goalkeeper, when it comes to one-on-one situation.

  Following the recent directives of President Muhammadu Buhari on the state of basketball in the country and its withdrawal from all International basketball competitions for the next two years, the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development has announced the members of the Interim Management Committee(IMC) to oversee the development of the sport in Nigeria. Their names are as stated below -   1. Dr. Henry Nzekwu​    2. ​Mr. Udon Ubon Humapwa​ 3. Mr. Frank Jitubhoh ​ 4. Zenith Bank    -​                Representative 5. Prof. Adamu Ahmed   6. Mr. Peter Nelson      -​          7. Group Captain Rahinatu Garba -  8. Aderemi Adewunmi    -            9. Oluchi Nzekwe  10. Sani Adio ( SAN) The Committee is to draw up programmes that will revamp basketball from the grassroots in Nigeria, revive its moribund domestic leagues and attract cooperate sponsors for the development of the game. Signed  Mohammed Manga  Director (Press & Press Relations) May 23, 2022

In recognition of his role in the social and economic development of Nigeria in the youth and sports sector, the Minister of Youth and Sports Development Sunday Dare has been awarded the Sports Personality of the Year by popular lifestyle and showbiz magazine Global Excellence. The award ceremony, tagged the Excellence Recognition Awards 2022, holds on Sunday, May 22, 2022 at the Balmoral Hall, Kudirat Abiola Way, Oregun, Ikeja, Lagos. In being recognised for his immense work as Sports Minister, the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Global Excellence magazine Mayor Akinpelu said Sunday Dare deserved to be honoured for the excellence he has brought into his office and the innovations he has brought into the Youth and Sports Development Ministry. Dare's tenure as Sports Minister has witnessed a lot of initiatives that have positively impacted the sector leading to the nation's best performance in 13 years at the Tokyo Olympics and her best ever outing at the 202O World U20 Athletics  

"Performance Confirms Future of Our Game is in Developing Youth Football"_  Sports Minister Sunday Dare has sent words of commendation to Nigeria's U20 team, the Flying Eagles for qualifying for the final of the WAFU U20 Championship in Niamey, Niger Republic. Nigeria beat Cote'd Ivoire 2-1 after extra time on Tuesday in a pulsating semi final encounter to book a place in Saturday's final as well as qualify for the CAF Africa U20 Cup of Nations in Egypt in 2023. Dare said to the team: "Your hard earned victory over Cote'd Ivoire in the semi final and your performances in the games against Ghana and Burkina Faso have shown what is possible when a team plays with focus, determination and discipline. "We are so proud of you all both players and coaches, and also happy with the results so far. We are solidly behind you. However, this is not the time to rest on your oars. The journey ahead of you is a long one. "Go all out on Saturday, win the WAFU U

   36 Lion of Lagos mercurial midfielder, Azeez Oseni joined one of the leading European Club side, FC Spartak Trnava of Slovak. The Lagos-based largest academy team announced the new deal on Tuesday in a statement by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the club, Hajj Gafar Liameed. Hajji Gafar stated that sealing the deal for Azeez to join the former Slovak league champions was a deliberate and at same time herculean and successful task. “Signing with European clubs as a No. 10 is a herculean task; it’s a top class position but Azeez is also a top class talent, a Champions League material. “He was always laidback so we deliberately delayed his move to Europe for 16 months to sharpen him up and now he understands life better. His case is not only forcing the horse to the stream but also shoving a gallon of water down the horse’s throat. “This is another result of eight years’ patience and rigorous developmental processes,” he said. Hajji added that “FIFA Agent Cem Sagar later took

With the lastest grassroots initiative from the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, led by Sunday Dare, Dr Abubakar Auwulu has showered encomiums on the Sports Minister for conceiving the Secondary School Basketball Championships. Dr Abubakar said the move is one that prioritizes grassroot sports development, which is critical for national sports development. Abubakar, the Principal of Namman Secondary School, Kano stated thus: "With the abundance of talents in the country, most lying fallow, it's expedient to take Basketball and Sports in general to this basic level. It would provide an avenue for talents to be spotted from each geo-political zone. My school has a team already and this  opportunity will be massive for them, just like other schools. "The Sports Minister has shown that he is grassroots-oriented. The last time out, we had the Principal's Cup, which we participated in. Now basketball is in the fore. If we continue in this manner, alot of talents wi

Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare says the future of the sport of track and field is bright in Nigeria following another impressive displays by the country's athletes both at home and abroad. Johnson Nnamani, Egbuchilem Raphael Chimezie, Ezekiel Nathaniel, Favour Ofili, Rosemary Chukwuma, Alaba Akintola and Favour Ashe among others displayed standout performances at the 3rd AFN All Comers in Abuja and the Collegiate Circuit in the USA. Teenagers Nnamani and Egbuchilem both improved on their Personal Best at the Abuja Meet while Ezekiel broke Henry Amike's 35 year old 400m hurdles Nigeria record. Ofili was simply unstoppable as she successfully completed a sprint double, running 10.93s in the 100m and 22.04s in the 200m. Ashe and Akintola set new Personal Best times in the 100m, both running 10.04s while Chukwuma ran a wind-aided 10.88s to place third in the 100m before scorching to a wind-legal 22.33s finish in the half lap. World U20 200m and 400m champions

As the the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games continues to draw closer, the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Hon. Sunday Dare has officially confirmed three-time Olympian and 1990 Commonwealth Games gold medalist, Yusuf Alli as Coordinator of Team Nigeria for the 2022 Edition of the Commonwealth Games. Speaking at the ceremonial hand-over of Alli's official letter, the Minister said Alli's appointment is on the back of his experience as an athlete and accomplishments as a sports administrator. The Minister stated thus, "To ensure Team Nigeria's success at the Games, we are bringing Yusuf Alli to compliment the efforts of the experts in the ministry, so as we all work together to give Nigeria a good showing in Birmingham. When we found out that, Yusuf Alli with his experience will be needed as part of the ingredients for our success we brought him on board." Dare added that, "we are determined to tap into the knowledge of our ex sports stars who serve

  The League Management Company (LMC) and Bitnob, a leading financial technology company has reached an understanding for the sponsorship of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL). Shehu Dikko, Chairman of the LMC said the two parties will meet on Tuesday, May 17 at Radisson Blu Hotel in Ikeja, Lagos to officially unveil the partnership and make public important details of the relationship. He said negotiation for the partnership was painstaking to ensure that Bitnob and the NPFL will have a mutually beneficial alliance to project the Fintech brand through the domestic league. Bitnob, a company that provides payments solutions for individuals and businesses will be partnering the league as an Elite Sponsor in the Financial Technology category.

First Vice President of Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, Barrister Seyi Akinkunmi has denied reports of declaration to vie for office of NFF president. Bar. Akinwunmi who is also the Chairman, Lagos State Football Association is currently serving his second term as number two person under Amaju Pinnick led football federation. The distinguished legal luminary told onwardews24.com that the news about his declaration which was culled from the South West Football stakeholders meeting held last week was a complete false and another style of detractors to cause disharmony among the football family in the zone. Akinwunmi who heads the federation’s committee on youth development said the meeting held last week was not about his intention to vie for the office of the President and such was not discussed at the meeting. “You may have read that I had declared an intention to run for the President of the NFF. “While there is nothing wrong with me being interested in being President, I certainly

The NWFL chairperson, Aisha Falode has revealed that sheer consistency and love for the game have sustained the growth of women’s football in the country.  Speaking at the contract signing of the title sponsor for the Super 6, she said even without sponsors, the league has ensured that all payments were made and no one was owed during this period. She said, “Without sponsors were able to sustain the league through consistency, pay as when due”  She said the league will achieve more if sponsors come on board to invest and not for charity purposes. “We want to bring sponsors for investment purposes because the league creates values and not for charity purposes”  The Super 6 will be held in Benin, Edo state from May 16-22 May, 2022 between Edo Queens, Nasarawa Amazons, Naija Ratels, Bayelsa Queens, Rivers Angels, and Delta Queens.

The Nigeria Women’s Football League has signed a sponsorship deal with Tulcan Energy for the 2022 NWFL Super 6, to be played from May 16 through 22 at Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City. Speaking at the official signing ceremony, the chairperson of the NWFL, Aisha Falode said the sponsorship is a testament to the good works and consistency the league has demonstrated in the past. She said, “The sponsorship is to create more impactful, more competition & more meaningful development”  Also speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Dolapo Akinwale, the representative for Tulcan Energy said the company has supported different businesses and with NWFL and Nigeria football, it took them 6 minutes to seal the deal. “Our strategy intentions are to grow the sports & reason we are sponsoring the Super6. We also planning to sustain this”. A total of N10 million naira will be shared among the top three teams, with the winners taking home N5 million, while the runners-up and third-placed teams will

In a letter sent to the Nigeria Football Federation(NFF) on Sunday, May 1, 2022, the Confederation of African football(CAF) has approved that the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja be used for the 2023 AFCON qualifier between Nigeria and Sierra Leone in June. This approval puts to an end speculations that the edifice will be barred from hosting international matches in the wake of the crowd disturbances that trailed the second leg of the 2022 World Cup qualifier against Ghana in March. The World Soccer Governing Body, FIFA has however ruled that the Nigeria vs Sierra Leone game will be played behind closed doors and also announced a fine of $154,000 on Nigeria for the disturbances after that World Cup qualifier.