By Georgina Adegbie

Martin Melandi, the Technical Director of Nigeria Volleyball Federation (NVB), has expressed confidence in Nigeria’s team maintaining their top position in the 2025 CAVB Under 18 Boys and Girls Beach Volleyball Championship.

Melandi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja, that the team is not afraid of any country, but is determined to maintain their top ranking in Africa.

“We believe the team will finish on the podium because the team is well-prepared for the championship,” he said.

He said the importance of participating in international competitions is to boost the team’s rankings.

“The team has been in camp for about a month; they were training in Kaduna before being moved to Abuja so that they could acclimatise with the weather.

“We don’t want them to be strangers in their own soil. The team trained in the morning and evening to do some final preparations before the championship,” he said.

Melandi said that the female team is currently top of the rankings table and will fight to maintain their first position.

“These are new sets of players, with only four players having played in the championship before.

“This is a new set of players because of the age category competition; some of them have not played at this level before, only four players have played at this level,” he said.

According to Melandi, hosting the championship is a plus for Nigeria, and the team also needs to participate in more countries to boost their points for Olympic qualification.

“The team will also participate in the upcoming championship in Burundi, which will impact their Olympic rankings.

“A strong performance will not only boost their rankings but also demonstrate Nigeria’s prowess in beach volleyball,” he said.

NAN reports that 15 countries have arrived in Abuja to participate in the 2025 CAVB Under-18 Beach Volleyball Championship, which started today and is expected to end on Aug.7 (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Joseph Edeh

By Deborah Coker

The Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of Sports (NIS), Philip Shaibu, says the future of the institution lies in a robust public-private partnership model and a total structural reset.

Shaibu said this in Abuja on Tuesday night at a reception organised in his honour by former colleagues from the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).

He noted that his appointment by President Bola Tinubu came with a clear mandate to reform the NIS and revive the institute to its original vision of producing world-class coaches and sports professionals.

“My mandate by Mr President is to go and carry out total reform and to reposition the NIS to its core mandate of producing excellent coaches for Nigeria and Africa,” he said.

The NIS DG, who was a deputy governor in Edo and ex-member of the House of Representatives, said the institute had derailed from its foundational purpose.

Shaibu explained that the derailment was evident in the dilapidation of core facilities like the stadium, indoor hall, tennis courts, and administrative blocks of sports infrastructure.

He said that these infrastructures must first be rebuilt by the government before being handed over to the private sector for management.

“Government business now is to put these things right; when these things are standardised, the private sector can drive and achieve success.’’

Shaibu added that running sports with bureaucratic bottlenecks had stifled growth, noting that true progress could only come from a more flexible and business-oriented approach.

“Sport does not need the government bureaucracies that we have presently. If we leave sports to government bureaucracies as it is today, we will simply lament,” he said.

The NIS DG cited an example with the Super Falcons’ return to Nigeria from Morocco, as a part of poor government logistics planning.

He regretted that the nation had to be looking for a private jet to bring the players back after their Women’s Africa Cup of Nations victory in Morocco.

Reflecting also on his time in public office, the NIS DG said that transparency and accountability were the hallmark of his leadership.

He recalled that while serving in the National Assembly, he was the first to publicly announce the amount approved for constituency projects.

“I made the N20 million constituency funds public and allowed my constituents to determine how it should be spent.

“My performance in office was unprecedented and that has never happened. As a member of the House of Representatives, in 18 months, I did 13 constituency projects, whereas some members are not able to do 13 projects in eight years.”

Shaibu said he would bring the same zeal to his new role at the NIS, and as an experienced multi-sports athlete and administrator.

He revealed that he had spent the past weeks consulting widely and developing a strategic direction for the institute.

“What I have simply done in four to five weeks now was to reach out to major stakeholders.

“I was able to put up a document, which I named ‘Roadmap’; a 10-year strategic plan to reposition NIS to achieve its core mandate.

“A 32-member committee has been constituted to review and fine-tune the document. The reform will involve a total overhaul of the curriculum, removal of obsolete courses, and incorporation of modern sports science into the training programme.

“It’s like I’m resetting and restarting NIS afresh and also having a 10-year working document to make sure we don’t drift again,” he added. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Emmanuel Afonne

By Aderonke Ojo

Michael Emmanuel and Adesuwa Osabuohien have emerged champions in the men’s and women’s singles categories respectively, at the 46th edition of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Senior Open Tennis Championship in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the championship, held at the Tennis Court of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, was organised by the Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF) and sponsored by CBN.

In the men’s singles final, Emmanuel, who showed resilience and tactical brilliance, delivered a commanding performance to defeat tennis prodigy, Ikenna Okonkwo, in a thrilling 7-6, 3-6, 6-2 display.

The women’s singles final saw Adesuwa Osabuohien come from behind to defeat Emmanuel Essien 2-1 in a rain-interrupted final.

After dropping the first set, Osabuohien rallied to win 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 to claim the title.

Osabuohien started her campaign by beating Khadijat Salami 2-0, RTD in the round of 32, and also defeated Timipre Maxwell 6-2, 6-0 in round of 16.

She won against Mary Udofa 6-2, 6-1 in the quarter-finals and later overpowered Blessing Omotayo 6-1, 7-5 in the semi-finals to reach the final.

On her part, Essien started her campaign by beating Bajo Punriniman 4-2, 4-0 in the Round of 32. She defeated Blessing Otu 6-3, 6-3 in the Round of 16.

She won against Blessing Etoro 6-2, 7-5 in the quarter-finals, and struggled to beat Aina Goodnews 6-4, 6-3 to reach the final.

Speaking at the closing, President of the NTF, Ifedayo Akindoju, lauded the CBN for sponsoring the tournament after two years miss.

“CBN has been a strong pillar for tennis growth in the country. This tournament continues to provide a vital platform for our athletes to grow and compete at the highest level,” he said.

Governor of CBN, Olayemi Cardoso, said that the championship had seen men and women rise from obscurity to become national and international champions.

Cardoso, who was represented by Hakama Sidi-Ali, CBN’s Acting Director of Corporate Communications, reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to nurturing talents, promoting excellence and supporting initiatives that foster unity and development.

“In furtherance of our vision, the CBN Junior Tennis Tournament was launched in 2006 to serve as a nursery for grooming young talents who would graduate to this prestigious Senior Open.

“I am pleased to note that some of today’s senior finalists were once champions on that Junior stage; a true testament to the value of continuity and investment in youth.

“Beyond the courts, the CBN remains passionate about the holistic development of Nigerian youth.

“We recognise sports as a powerful platform not just for entertainment but for empowerment, engagement and national integration.

“This belief drives our numerous youth-focused initiatives such as, Youth Entrepreneurship Development Programme (YEDP), MSME Development Fund (MSMEDF), Agri-Business/SME Investment Scheme (AGSMEIS) and so on,” Cardoso said.

Canice Abua and Micheal Emmanuel won the men’s doubles after beating Thomas Otu and Abubakar Yusuf 6-4, 6-0 in the final on Friday.

Goodnews Aina and Favour Moses won the women’s doubles with a commanding 7-5, 7-5 defeat of Blessing Anuna and Rebecca Ekpeyong 7-5, 7-5 in the final, also on Friday.

The 46th edition of the CBN Tennis Championship once again affirmed its status as one of Nigeria’s premier sporting events, drawing top talents and reinforcing the importance of long-term investment in grassroots and elite tennis development.

NAN reports that the CBN senior open tennis championship in Abuja which began on July 18, ended on Saturday. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Emmanuel Afonne

By Victor Okoye

Nigeria’s Taekwondo prospect, Kalu Chijioke (Jnr), has missed the opportunity to represent the country at the 2025 FISU World University Games in Germany.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the development followed registration failures linked to alleged poor planning and administrative lapses.

Kalu, a Statistics student at the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), earned qualification after an outstanding performance at the National Trials held in April.

The trials, which featured over 500 athletes from 40 Nigerian universities, were conducted at the NDLEA Academy Ground in Lamingo, Jos, to select Nigeria’s delegation to the Games.

The 2025 FISU World University Games, a global multi-sport competition, is currently holding across six cities in Germany from July 16 to 27.

Kalu was widely regarded as a strong medal contender, having secured a bronze medal in the -80kg Taekwondo category at the 2024 National Sports Festival in Ogun.

However, his hopes were dashed due to FUTO’s alleged delay to complete his registration before the deadline.

Efforts to get comments from FUTO’s Director of Sports, Dr Nnennaya Anyanwu, were initially unsuccessful.

She later told NAN that only the President of the Nigerian University Games Association (NUGA) was authorised to speak on matters relating to athlete preparations for the FISU Games.

FUTO’s Dean of Student Affairs, Prof. Chikwendu Orji, said he remained hopeful of the university’s eventual participation, albeit the missed registration window.

NUGA President, Prof. Bawa Muhammed, criticised universities for their lack of commitment to international sports development.

He stated that such lapses undermined Nigeria’s visibility and denied athletes global exposure.

He confirmed that FUTO failed to pay the required dues on time, which led to the closure of the registration portal.

“This is unacceptable, especially for the future of students who have trained and prepared extensively for this competition.

“Our young talents must not be allowed to slip through our fingers,” Muhammed said.

The athlete’s father, CSP Kalu Chijioke (Snr), expressed disappointment over the handling of the process by FUTO.

He recalled that the university had produced notable Olympians such as Chika Chukwumerije and Elizabeth Anyanacho.

He said he would continue to pursue justice for his son and questioned the legacy the current Director of Sports intended to leave.

“I owe my son the duty to defend him. As Director of Sports, what else should define your legacy?” he asked.

“Even if the university claims to lack funds, the responsibility still lies with the leadership to advocate for participation in a global event like FISU, which holds enormous potential for the athlete and the institution”.

He warned that denying such opportunities, especially in the South-East, could further fuel youth restiveness and frustration. (NAN)

Edited by Tosin Kolade