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Akanimo Kufre
The Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF), under Mr. Uyi Akpata on Sunday received another commendation and future incentives from Lagos State after a successful ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifiers in Lagos.
The last game of the tournament was watched by Mr. Lekan Fatodu, Chairman of Lagos State Sports Commission, and Hon. Mobolaji Ogunlende, Commissioner for Youth and Social Development. The SSA to Gov. Sanwolu on Grassroots Sports, Mr. Adebanji Atewogboye was also at TBS Cricket Oval, including corporate citizens such as Mr. Amrish Bhaiya from SpectraNet.
“The hosting of the international cricket events besides being a historic success is a massive motivation for budding cricket talents in the country. My presence here and that of the Hon. Commissioner for Youth and Social Development speaks to the commitment and seriousness of Lagos State towards mass participation in other sports.”
“We want to put more attention into sports who had been there before, but for some reasons, people thought had gone into extinction. Cricket is still part of our DNA, and Lagos State is ready to extend commitment and support to let corporate individuals know that we are behind this game. We are supporting ‘Train the trainers project’ in the University of Lagos.” Mr. Fatodu noted.
On his part, Lagos State Commissioner for Youth and Social Development emphasized that Gov. Babajide Sanwolu has expressed an agenda for team sport, which cricket is among.
“In this second administration, the governor is using sports as a language to bridge the gap between the government and the youths. That is why we are here, to show support, rebrand, and revitalize the 44 sports associations. We are here to catch them young and support them to compete at globalstage.”
The Commissioner promised to call for collaboration and participation with private organizations to promote cricket funding.
The Nigeria U19 cricket team lost the last game to Uganda by 15 runs. The Junior Yellow Greens have dropped far from the ticket, Division 1 , and relegated to Division 2 after finishing 5th on the group of 6 African nations.
The Tanzanian team grabbed the only World Cup ticket ahead of Namibia, Uganda, Kenya Nigeria, and Sierra Leone. Tanzania will join South Africa and Zimbabwe in 2026 for the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup.
The tournament, which started from March 28 to Sunday 6th April 2025, was played at TBS Cricket Oval and the University of Lagos Cricket Oval.
