Medals, Talent And Triumph: How (Farmer Bago) Niger State Is Building A New Sporting Future

The Niger State Sports Commission, established just one year ago by the administration of Farmer Governor Umar Mohammed Bago, has recorded outstanding achievements in sports between 2025 and 2026, with athletes and teams from the state competing successfully and winning laurels at national and international events.

The achievements were recorded under the leadership of the Chairman of the Sports Commission, Hon. Danjuma Abdul Masu. The Commission’s focus during the period has been on developing athletes, discovering young talents, supporting grassroots sports and improving the welfare and safety of athletes.

One of the notable achievements came from hockey, where Niger State representatives won a bronze medal at an international tournament in Nairobi, Kenya, in May 2026. Young Scrabble players from the state also represented Nigeria at the World Youth Scrabble Championship in Kenya, winning silver and bronze medals.

Niger State teams also performed well in several national competitions: At the National Open Kickboxing Championship in Abuja in May 2025, the state won three gold, one silver and three bronze medals. Its Taekwondo representatives won one gold and one silver medal at the Korean International Taekwondo Championship in Abuja.

Other achievements included a bronze medal at the National Amputee Football Championship; two gold and one silver medal in badminton at the National Super League, and a bronze medal in hockey at the National Super League in Abuja.

The state’s athletes also performed strongly in weightlifting and arm wrestling at the 15th Biennial Police Games in Asaba, where they won five gold medals. In junior tennis, Niger State won one silver and one bronze medal at the Aimuth Shipping Lines Annual Junior Tennis Championship in Lagos.

There were also achievements in beach wrestling and squash. Niger State won a bronze medal at the Governor Douye Diri Wrestling Classics in Bayelsa and silver and bronze medals at the National U-11, U-13 and U-17 Squash Championship in Abuja.

Beach soccer isn’t left behind in recorded successes. For the first time since the establishment of the Beach Soccer Association in 2021, the State Beach Soccer Club reached the Super 4 Finals, and returned home with a historic 3rd-place finish and the Fair Play Team Award.

Additionally, and of particular mention is the invitation of our attacker, Hassan Abubakar, to the Super Sand Eagles National Team. He is expected to resume camp as Nigeria prepares for the AFCON qualifiers against Ghana, with the first leg scheduled for 10 October in Kaduna and the return leg on 16 October in Ghana.

Basketball was another area of progress. The Niger State team finished as overall runners-up at the Savannah Basketball National League Championship in Minna in July 2026. The result also secured the team’s qualification to remain in the Premier League for the 2026/2027 season.

Handball has also remained an important part of the state’s sports programme. Niger United Handball Club finished fourth in the 2025 Ardova Handball Premier League and later emerged as runners-up at the 2026 TOJEMARINE International Handball Competition in Lagos.

Beyond medals and competition results, the Sports Commission has focused its attention on young athletes and grassroots development with the aim of identifying talented youths early, provide opportunities for them to develop their abilities and expose them to higher levels of competition.

The Commission is also promoting participation in sports across different parts of Niger State and encouraging greater participation by women and young people. Rather than concentrating only on football, it has supported athletes in several sporting disciplines.

In the area of athletes’ welfare and logistics, the Commission has acquired a Coaster Bus to assist with the transportation of athletes, teams and officials. It has also acquired a new ambulance to provide medical and emergency support during sporting activities.

Sports facilities have also received attention, under the Commission, efforts have been sustained in the rehabilitation and improvement of facilities and training environments. The goal is to create better conditions for athletes, clubs, schools and sporting associations and to make Niger State capable of hosting more sporting events.

From Scrabble and hockey to handball, basketball, weightlifting, tennis, kickboxing, Taekwondo, Beach Soccer, wrestling, badminton, squash and amputee football, Niger State athletes have competed across a wide range of disciplines.

The achievements recorded, in just one year of its establishment, shows that the state has enormous reservoir of talented athletes capable of competing successfully at national and international levels.

The continued development of young talent, improvement of sporting facilities and provision of better support and medical services by the present administration in the state has been importantly remarkable in sustaining this progress.

The State Sports Commission intends to build on these achievements by discovering more talents, improving facilities, increasing participation in major competitions and creating more opportunities for young people to pursue career in sports.

Under the New Niger Agenda of Farmer Governor Umar Mohammed Bago, sports development is not only about winning medals. It is also about giving young people opportunities, supporting athletes, improving facilities and building a system capable of producing competitive athletes for the future.

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