The Chairman of Lobi Stars Football Club of Makurdi, Simon Ikya, said the club’s sole target is to gain promotion to the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) 2026/2027 season.

Ikya stated this while addressing newsmen in Makurdi on Thursday regarding the club’s progress during the just-concluded Nigerian National League (NNL) season.

Ikya took over the reins of the club mid-season.

He said that the team did their best but narrowly missed out on returning to the NPFL, as the club finished second in NNL Conference C behind Doma United of Gombe.

The chairman said that many challenges, including playing home matches away from Makurdi, an over-bloated squad, and legal issues, among others, scuttled the team’s efforts to achieve its goal.

“But when the governor gave me the go-ahead to do everything humanly possible to bring the team back to Makurdi, we are now playing our home matches at McCarthy Stadium, Makurdi.

“Playing away from home meant we were basically playing all our games away, and it was costing us too much money.

“Then we worked on adding a bit of bite to the team, which we did. And if you noticed, in the second round we played much better than we did in the first round.

“Another challenge was the number of players. We had 67 of them, which is too much, but what I did was review the squad, select 25 players to form Team A, and move the rest to Team B.

“That helped us improve towards the end, and we were even able to win an away game, which was our last,” he explained.

Ikya said that the wage bill was taking a toll on the team and assured that all the players whose contracts expired would be shown the exit door.

“We finished second, which wasn’t our target. As mentioned, we will sit down to address all these issues.

“I didn’t handle recruitment, and I didn’t come in on time. But next season, I won’t have any excuses. Our target will be promotion, and we must get the right players to achieve it.

“The truth is that the governor has been very supportive. I even feel ashamed of going before him sometimes. But given the circumstances we found ourselves in, there was little we could have done.

“Now that we have the opportunity to recruit our own players and properly prepare the team, I don’t think we have any excuse not to gain promotion next season.

“Regarding some of the cases we inherited, we had to include them in the wage bill because we are part of the system,” he added.

The Nigeria Olympic Committee has announced June 27, 2026, as the date for this year’s Olympic Day celebration, with plans underway to stage a nationwide event promoting physical activity and social inclusion under the global auspices of Olympic Solidarity.

The committee explained in a statement on Tuesday that the annual initiative would provide a platform to encourage Nigerians of all ages to embrace core Olympic ideals, while also highlighting the importance of regular exercise in daily life.

“This annual event serves as a premier global platform to champion the benefits of physical activity, offering Nigerians of all ages the opportunity to embrace the Olympic values of Excellence, Friendship, and Respect,” the statement read.

The NOC further stressed that simple activities such as jogging and walking remain effective ways to improve overall health, noting that they help to burn calories, strengthen muscles and ease mental stress.

Chairman of the Sport-For-All Commission, Abdul Ibrahim, reinforced the focus of the 2026 campaign, explaining that it is designed to promote inclusivity and shared participation.

He emphasised that engaging in physical activity alongside others improves motivation and social connection, urging participants to bring new people into the movement.

He said the campaign encourages collective participation and added that “exercising is far more impactful when shared,” while calling on individuals to invite others to join them in staying active.

Following what the committee described as record-breaking participation in 2025, it confirmed that invitation letters have been sent to all states of the federation, urging state sports councils to commence early preparations to ensure widespread reach.

The statement noted that organisers are targeting nationwide engagement “to ensure a high-impact event that reaches every nook and corner of the country.”

President of the NOC, Habu Gumel, also outlined a broader social objective for this year’s celebration, stating that the initiative aims to strengthen relationships across age groups through sport.

He highlighted that the goal is to connect younger and older generations through shared physical activity, noting that “this year’s goal is to bridge generational gaps by using physical activity to foster meaningful connections between youth and older people.”

Nigeria’s ArmWrestling elites are gearing up for a high-stakes national showdown, as the Lagos Open 2026 Championship takes center stage from April 9 to April 12.

The championship will also be used as the official trial to select athletes for continental duty which will be in Ghana soon.

Team Nigeria will battle ahead of the African Armwrestling Championship in Ghana, the crucial qualifier for the 2027 African Games in Egypt.

The President of the Nigerian Armwrestling Federation, Samuel Jackson, reaffirmed the federation’s determination to field only the very best.

“We have set out to present the strongest team for Nigeria in Ghana.

“Our intention is to go stronger into Ghana, in order to select a quality number of athletes that will qualify for Egypt,” he stated.

Jackson appreciated the key stakeholders who have continued to support the growth of the sport.

“We sincerely thank the National Sports Commission (NSC) for their consistent support and the Lagos State Sports Commission for hosting this crucial trial,

“Their commitment has been   instrumental in the development of armwrestling in Nigeria.” he said.

Looking ahead, the federation president made a strong appeal to the private sector and well-meaning individuals:

“We call on corporate bodies and individuals to continue in supporting this sport. With the right backing, we can confidently guarantee gold medals for Nigeria at the next African Games,

“With the sport gaining momentum across Africa, Nigeria faces stiffer competition than ever—making the Lagos trials a defining moment for athletes chasing national selection.

“Every contest will matter. Every victory will count. Because in Lagos, it’s not just about winning, it’s about proving who is ready to carry Nigeria’s armwrestling strength to Ghana.

“That same person should also be able to deliver gold in Egypt 2027,” Jackson said.