The Handball Federation of Nigeria (HFN) recently organized a six-day intensive training programme for North-Central handball referees at the handball court of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja.
The training which was sponsored by the President, Handball Federation of Nigeria, Mr Jibril Ojih Saidu (FNIQS) who’s also the North-Central representative on the board of the Handball Federation of Nigeria and Chairman of the Kogi State Handball Association.
This was contained in a statement by Godwin Wambebe, Director Media, Kogi State Handball Association.
The training programme which had young aspiring referees from all states in the North-central region also featured two pairs of referees, comprising two male and two female participants Anas Muhammad, Mustapha Sulaiman, Blessing A Adeniyi, and
Hafsat Y Yusuf from Kogi State, successfully completed the programme.
Following the rigorous training sessions, the referees were awarded certificates of participation and officially recognized as qualified handball referees.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony, the Vice Chairman of the Kogi State Handball Association, Atabo Opaluwa Aminudeen, congratulated the newly certified referees for their determination, dedication and successful completion of the course.
He commended the Handball Federation of Nigeria and the sponsor for providing the opportunity and platform to develop young officiating capacity within the North-Central zone.
“As the Vice Chairman of the Kogi State Handball Association, I was delighted to represent the Association at the graduation ceremony and witness the successful completion of the training by our referees. Their achievement is a positive step towards the growth and development of handball in Kogi State and Nigeria at large,” he said.
The programme on Friday after six days of intensive theoretical and practical training aimed at improving the quality of handball officiating across the region and the country. The newly certified referees are expected to contribute significantly to the development and promotion of handball at both state and national levels.
