Osun SWAN To Dokkal Khairu: Stakeholders Must Rally Team For Promotion Push In Conference B

 

Osun SWAN To Dokkal Khairu: Stakeholders Must Rally Team For Promotion Push In Conference B

The Osun State Chapter of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, SWAN, under the chairmanship of Com. Timothy Agbor, has urged newly promoted _Dokkal Khairu FC_ to brace up for the challenges ahead in the 2026/2027 Nigeria National League season. The association said the club must match its ambition with proper preparation.

The Nigeria National League, NNL, has released the proposed groupings for the 2026/2027 league season ahead of kickoff. 34 clubs have been divided into four conferences. Conferences A and B will have nine clubs each, while Conferences C and D will feature eight clubs each.

Osun State will be represented in Conference B by _Dokkal Khairu FC_, and SWAN says the club must justify the huge investment of its owner, Alhaji Adamu Mohammed. In a statement signed by Chairman Com. Timothy Agbor, Osun SWAN urged the management to recruit quality players that can compete with established sides in the group.

“We are not in doubt of the owner’s commitment, but spending alone is not enough. Dokkal Khairu FC must assemble a squad with the right blend of youth and experience to justify the owner’s investment and make Osun proud,” Agbor stated. He added that the team should avoid being mere participants and instead target promotion.

Speaking after the NNL AGM in Owerri, the President of Dokkal Khairu FC, Alhaji Adamu Mohammed, said the team is fully prepared. “We are not in the NNL to make up the numbers. Dokkal Khairu FC will represent Osun State with pride and we are ready to compete for promotion to the NPFL,” Alhaji Mohammed stated.

Osun SWAN further called on stakeholders, government, fans and corporate bodies in the state to rally round Dokkal Khairu FC in its debut season. With powerhouses like Akwa United FC, Bayelsa United FC and Beyond Limits FA also in Conference B, the association noted that unity and support will be key if the Osun flagbearers are to secure a playoff spot and push for promotion.

NSC Celebrates Historic Olympic Qualification of Nigeria Women’s Beach Volleyball Team

 

NSC Celebrates Historic Olympic Qualification of Nigeria Women’s Beach Volleyball Team

_Nigeria secures Africa’s sole ticket to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games_

The Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Hon. Bukola Olopade, has announced that Nigeria’s Women’s Beach Volleyball team will be immediately integrated into the training grant programme of the Elite and Podium Board following their historic qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

Hon. Olopade made this known while congratulating the team for securing Africa’s sole qualification ticket to the 2028 Olympic Games after a dominant performance at the African Beach Volleyball Championship in Alexandria, Egypt.

Esther Onyinye Mbah and Pamela Miyoum Bawa made history by defeating Morocco 2-0 in the final to claim the continental title and book Nigeria’s place at the Olympic Games.

The qualification represents another major milestone for Nigerian sports and, according to Hon. Olopade, further demonstrates the impact of the country’s growing sports ecosystem and the ongoing reforms aimed at ensuring that every sport has the opportunity to thrive and compete at the highest level.

“On behalf of the Chairman of the NSC, Mallam Shehu Dikko, I want to commend the progressive impact the board of the Nigeria Volleyball Federation has been making, both with the domestic league and the national teams,” Hon. Olopade said.

“The Nigeria Women’s Beach Volleyball team has been making giant strides in recent times, and the NSC is determined to ensure the team receives the highest level of high-performance preparation ahead of the Olympic Games.”

“This is why we are immediately integrating the team into our Elite and Podium Board programme so that the players can begin to benefit from the athletes’ training grants that we instituted last year.”

The Nigerian pair produced an impressive run through the championship, overcoming host Egypt in the Round of 16 before defeating Morocco twice, first in the quarterfinals and again in the final, to emerge African champions.

The achievement marks Nigeria’s return to the Olympic Beach Volleyball competition and provides the team with a significant runway to prepare for Los Angeles 2028 under the support structure of the National Sports Commission’s high-performance programme.

The NSC said the immediate integration of the athletes into the Elite and Podium Board training grant programme is part of its commitment to identifying, supporting and rewarding athletes and teams demonstrating the potential to deliver success for Nigeria on the global stage.

K-RAD DAZZLES UNILORIN WITH ‘FROM BENEFICIARIES TO BENEFACTORS’ LECTURE, OUTLINES 10-LGA AGENDA FOR OSUN CENTRAL

 

Legal luminary and APC Senatorial Candidate for Osun Central, Kunle Adegoke SAN, popularly known as K-Rad, dazzled a packed auditorium at the University of Ilorin on Monday with a thought-provoking lecture titled ‘From Beneficiaries to Benefactors: Gratitude, Stewardship, and the Legacy of Impact’. The event, held in honour of Professor Is-haq Olanrewaju Oloyede, brought together academics, students, legal practitioners and political stakeholders to reflect on leadership, service and nation building.

Delivering the lecture, Adegoke challenged Nigerians to move beyond a culture of entitlement and consumption. Drawing from personal experience and public service history, he defined a beneficiary as one who receives help, opportunity or grace, while a benefactor is one who turns those benefits into institutions, opportunities and legacies for others. “The world doesn’t need more beneficiaries. Those are in surplus. The world is waiting on you to become a benefactor,” he told the audience, citing scriptural, economic and legacy reasons for giving back.

The Senior Advocate hinged his philosophy on good leadership structures built on three pillars: institutional discipline, accountability, and human capital development. Using the examples of Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Professor Oloyede, K-Rad argued that true leaders build systems that outlive them. He noted that his own political journey was made possible by free education structures of the past, and that the same mindset must now drive public office holders to invest in structures rather than handouts.

Adegoke outlined the three stages of transformation every leader and citizen must pass through: The Beneficiary Season, where gratitude and learning dominate; The Transition Season, tested by forgetfulness and scarcity; and The Benefactor Season, where one begins to create tables for others to eat. He urged youths, professionals and political actors in Osun to embrace mentorship, opportunity sharing and structured philanthropy as tools for development.

Speaking directly to his senatorial ambition, K-Rad said the 10 local governments that make up Osun Central will be the primary beneficiaries of his structured representation if voted to power. He promised that his approach would be driven by data, partnerships and legislation focused on SME growth, education, agriculture and youth enterprise across all 10 councils.

According to him, each LGA carries unique potential that must be harnessed through deliberate policy. Osogbo and Olorunda will be positioned as hubs for commerce and digital skills; Irepodun, Ifedayo, Orolu and Ifelodun for agro-processing; while Boripe, Boluwaduro, Ila and Odootin will be developed around tourism, solid minerals and grassroots entrepreneurship. “We will move from erratic handouts to structured empowerment, from consuming to creating,” he said, adding that constituency projects under his watch would be tracked and aligned with community needs.

The lecture ended with a standing ovation as students and dignitaries commended K-Rad for offering both intellectual depth and a practical roadmap. He closed by charging the Unilorin community to answer three questions: Who are you a beneficiary to? Who will you be a benefactor to in the next 30 days? What skill or resource can you give? “When we move from beneficiaries to benefactors, Osun Central will not just survive. It will lead,” Adegoke concluded.

Lobi Stars, Kano Pillars, Heartland, Others Named As NANPF Demands Transfer Compliance

 

Lobi Stars, Kano Pillars, Heartland, Others Named As NANPF Demands Transfer Compliance

On August 22, 2026, the National Association of Nigeria Professional Footballers (NANPF), through General Secretary Comrade Austin Popo, petitioned the Nigeria Football Federation’s Players Status and Arbitration Committee (PSAC) to enforce compliance with directives on player registration and participation. The letter, addressed to the PSAC Secretary at Sunday Dankoro House, FIFA Goal Project, Abuja, emphasized that clubs found in default of obligations must not be permitted to field newly contracted players in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), Nigeria National League (NNL), Nigeria Women’s Football League (NWFL), and the Nationwide League (NLO).  

The petition specifically named clubs including Lobi Stars, Katsina United, Kano Pillars, Niger Tornadoes, Heartland FC, Bayelsa United, 3SC, Sokoto United, Gombe United, and Sunshine Stars, urging league bodies to act before matches commence on August 28 for the NPFL and October 31 for the NNL, with NWFL and NLO dates pending. NANPF stressed that adherence to FIFA and NFF player status and transfer regulations is vital to maintaining integrity and fairness across competitions.  

The call reinforced the importance of professionalism and compliance in Nigerian football, ensuring that all participants compete on equal terms. By demanding accountability, NANPF highlighted its role as a guardian of players’ rights and the credibility of the leagues, reminding stakeholders that the future of Nigerian football depends on transparency, discipline, and respect for established rules.

NFRA Hails Regular Inclusion Of Nigerian Referees As Omotoye, Yusuf Storm Ouagadougou For WAFU B

 

NFRA Hails Regular Inclusion Of Nigerian Referees As Omotoye, Yusuf Storm Ouagadougou For WAFU B

Ahead of the kick off of the 2026 edition of the African Women Club Championship in Burkina Faso, two Nigerian women international referees have successfully landed in Ouagadougou for the soccer fiesta. 

The Nigerian referees comprise FIFAs Oluwatosin Omotoye and  Abibatu Yusuf scheduled to officiate as Referee and Assistant Referee respectively in the competition. 

On arrival, the two international referees have effectively integrated themselves into the pre tournament preparations and are good to go for the matches. 

The Nigeria Football Referees' Association,  NFRA, through the Acting President Sir Kelechi Mejuobi wishes the two match officials the best of luck. 

Mejuobi who disclosed that the NFRA is elated by the regular inclusion of  Nigerian referees in major competitions of FIFA, CAF and WAFU B notes that it's a justification of the renewed vigour of the joint efforts of the NFRA and Nigeria Football Federation, NFF Referees Committee targeted at placing the country's FIFA referees from Nigeria on good standing at the international corridor of officiating.

Mejuobi further said that the association is in prayers for them for a successful outing.