Tag: John Owan-Enoh

Nigeria’s team at the just concluded All Africa Senior Badminton Championship, Cairo 2024, claimed seven medals with the country’s number one badminton player, Anuoluwapo Opeyori clinching his fifth African title and the third back to back.

Anuoluwapo had earlier won the All Africa Senior Championships Men’s Singles title in Port Harcourt, Nigeria in 2019, the All Africa Games MS title in Morocco in 2019, the All Africa Senior Championships MS title in Uganda 2022, the All Africa Senior Championships in South Africa 2023 and now in Egypt 2024.

Nigeria’s male team  in the team event narrowly lost to Algeria in the Finals even after securing the first two of five games, thereby settling for Silver. The Women’s team picked a valuable bronze after losing the Semifinals to the Ugandan Women’s team.

In the Individual event, Nigeria’s Wonder Boy, Anuoluwapo Opeyori stormed through to the finals by beating compatriot Victor Ikechukwu 21-13, 19-21, 21-9 to rekindle an old rivalry with Mauritian Georges Julien Paul where he again asserted his dominance by beating Paul 23-21, 11-21, 21-16 to take the coveted MS crown for the third time in a row and his fifth African title.

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The relatively new pair of Yunusa Momoh Godwin Olofua did the country proud by beating Mauritius players, Melvin Appiah and Tejraj Pultoo 21-17, 21-15 to reach the Finals. They were, however, unable to subdue the duo of Africa’s number one pair of Algeria’s Kociela Mammeri and Sabri Medel, thereby losing 12-21, 8-21 to clinch the Silver in the Men’s Doubles event.

In the Women’s Doubles, Nigeria’s Dorcas Ajoke Adesokan paired with a new partner, Sofiyat Obanishola to lose out narrowly to Ugandan’s Husina Kobugabe and Gladys Mbabazi 21-18, 19-21, 18-21 after fighting gallantly in the Semifinals to get a spot on the podium for the bronze medal.

In the Mixed Doubles event, yet another fresh pair of Aliyu Alhaji Shehu and Deborah Ukeh-Divine lost the Semifinal match to home team of Adham Hatem Gamel and Doha Hany of Egypt 9-21, 12-21 (0-2) to take the bronze medal for their efforts.

In all, Nigeria was able to take home an impressive total of 1 gold, 2 silver and 4 bronze medals for relatively new pairs in all the doubles categories.

President of the Badminton Federation of Nigeria, Francis Orbih, Esq, expressed his appreciation for the performance of the Team Nigeria contingent and lamented the loss in the Finals of the Men’s Team events.

“We were so close after getting the first 2 games in our favour, but we understand that in games as in life, anything can happen. We are grateful to and appreciative of our players and their performances”, Francis said.

He also appreciated the Hon. Minister for Sport Development, Hon John Enoh for the Ministry’s support for the team.

He promised that the board would continue to support players in all categories and at all levels.

Francis further stressed the plans of the badminton  board to immediately resume preparations for the upcoming badminton event at All Africa Games holding in Ghana from the 3rd to 10th March 2024.

…Says All hands to be on deck towards achieving success in Accra

As Nigeria consolidates efforts towards Africa Games 2024, the Honourable Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh has charged Team Nigeria officials and vendors serving the team to ensure quality in athletes’ nutrition and welfare, as training camps open from tomorrow across five locations in the country.

Senator Enoh appealed to vendors not to undermine national efforts by attempting to put pecuniary gains ahead of national interests. he warned that the Ministry will spare no time in cutting ties with vendors who do not adhere to quality in its service to the athletes, as they prepare for the Games, that will hold in Accra, Ghana, from March 8 – 23, 2024.

“I am appealing to you all not to sabotage the preparedness of our athletes because of profit-making. I will make unannounced visits to the camp to personally see the standards in each camp,” he said. “I know some vendors already have a relationship with the Ministry. If we find out anyone cut corners in their job, it might lead to blacklisting such a person from our future engagements.”

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“I therefore appeal to everyone – I called this meeting because we don’t want complaints from camps about the quality of food and nutrition, or welfare of athletes. Just like the AFCON that ended without issues and complaints, let’s make the next few weeks of camping go seamless,” the Minister charged.

He mentioned that a win for the nation represents a win for all vendors and officials, thus the need for all hands to be on deck towards achieving success.

The Ministry had earlier announced that camping will open in five different locations – Abuja, Lagos, Ibadan, Bayelsa, and Gombe. Nigeria will participate in 25 sports, with 8 of them serving as Olympic qualifiers. Since the inception of the Games, Nigeria has won a total of 1326 medals in 12 editions, which makes her the second most-successful nation in the Games history behind Egypt.

The Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh, has pledged to work with military and para-military institutions to develop world-class athletes who can win international accolades for the country. Senator Enoh made this commitment while delivering a speech at the first edition of the Military and Para-Military Judo Championship in Abuja on the 14th of February.

He expressed his regret that the fertile grounds which military and para-military institutions once provided for producing sports talents have been eroded over the years. Therefore, he called for the resuscitation of this practice. The minister commended the Nigeria Judo Federation for initiating the Military and Para Military Judo Championship. He also encouraged other sports federations to follow in their footsteps and initiate partnerships with the military and para-military institutions to improve the chances of the country for podium appearances.

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The Minister promised to continue supporting the growth of various sports in the country, and if under his leadership, Judo returns to its pre-eminent position as Category A sports, he would have succeeded in his job as minister. In his speech, the President of the Nigerian Judo Federation, Dr. Musa Oshodi, expressed his gratitude to the Minister for honoring their invitation, which he said was an indication of his passion for sports development in the country. He further emphasized that the aim of the partnership between the federation and the military was to ensure that judo regains its pride of place in Nigeria.

…Says Ministry will build trust and regain the confidence of the private sector to enjoy their support

In what reflected his commitment to revolutionize Nigeria’s sports sector, the Honourable Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh declared open a 2-day ministerial retreat aimed at fortifying the ministry’s mission to deliver its renewed sports development agenda under the visionary leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The retreat, taking place in Abuja, gathered principal officers of the Federal Ministry of Sports Development, creating a vibrant atmosphere for brainstorming and strategic planning to overcome challenges plaguing the sports sector.

Senator Enoh, in his opening address, emphasized the retreat’s primary goal: inspiring a collective commitment to align efforts with the ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’ of the Tinubu-led administration. With an infectious optimism about President Tinubu’s commitment to repositioning and instigating positive change across all sectors, Senator Enoh expressed confidence that the retreat would be instrumental in addressing various impediments to optimal sports performance.

Underscoring the importance of close monitoring and evaluation, Senator Enoh highlighted the Ministry’s ambitious plan to engage the private sector actively. “We want to build the trust and confidence of the private sector so that competitions and initiatives of the ministry can enjoy their support and endorsement,” he declared.

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Mrs. Tinuke Watti, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Sports Development, underscored the retreat’s necessity in re-strategizing and repositioning the Ministry after its demerger from youth and sports, now re-designated as the Federal Ministry of Sports. Watti urged participants to immerse themselves in meaningful conversations, sharing insights and ideas to foster collaboration and creativity.

“To this end, we shall be looking at the vision, mission, mandate, and structure of the Ministry. Central to the retreat shall be sessions dedicated to strategic planning,” Watti stated. “In the next two days, we will focus on the Ministry of Sports strategic plan and other key policies and mandates that shape our Ministry’s work.”

Throughout the retreat, Watti emphasized the importance of collaborative discussions, knowledge sharing, and innovative thinking, encouraging participants to capitalize on collective expertise and experiences to develop actionable strategies. “I also expect that at the end of this retreat, you will leave this place fully equipped and ready to apply,” she concluded.

As the curtains rise on this transformative ministerial retreat, the sports sector anticipates a wave of progressive changes that will propel it into new heights of excellence, collaboration, and innovation.