By Donald Agbavobor
A presidential candidate in the upcoming Nigeria Handball Federation elections, Mr. Jubril Saidu has spoken of his plans to revitalize the game of handball in the country and take it to another level.
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Speaking during an online media forum on Saturday, Jubril, who is currently the secretary general of the Commonwealth Handball Federation, said he will use his position to get the support of both the continental and international handball governing bodies in sponsoring some strategic development plans across the board, from grassroots development to infrastructural development and training of technical officials.
Elaborating further on his plans, he said more powers will be given to the zonal representatives to drive the development of the sport at the grassroots and that the federation will have a special programme that will target the military and paramilitary in order to harness talents from these institutions.
According to Jubril, the overall objective is to restore the lost glory of handball in the country, and as such, players will be sent out from time to time to top handball-playing countries to gain valuable experience, while a scholarship programme will also be instituted for players so they can play the game while continuing with their education both at home and abroad.
Speaking on infrastructural and technical developments, the experienced sports administrator, who has personally and through his foundation financed the construction of handball courts in the Abuja, Plateau, and Kogi states, said priority will be given to providing more handball facilities across the country, as he intends to leverage on the relationship he built while working with many multinationals and as a fellow of the Nigeria Institute of Quantity Surveyors to engage willing partners for this purpose.
As for improving the capacities of coaches and officials, which is fundamental to the development of the game in the country, he explained that his position as Secretary General of the Commonwealth Handball Federation will be exploited to get the International Handball Federation on board to assist with technical officials that will help to train and equip our technical personnel with the modern skills of the game.