By Aideloje Ojo
Minna
The Niger State 2025 Under Age Barminton Mini Tournament Championship finals in Minna at the weekend featured exciting matches from players drawn from three local governments of the state, creating a competitive atmosphere that thrilled fans and kept them on the edge of their seats.
Detailed watch of the key matches and moments of the 2-day competition event showed the resilience of the young competitors giving in their best and smashing Badminton rackets to hit shuttlecocks with the energy and dexterity of Champions.
It was learnt that the finals also sprung shocks and surprises as spectators watched the defeat of the reigning best player and No 1 ranking for the junior category in Niger state, Usman Ahmed who is now in the position of second best player.
Ahmed was dethroned by Miracle Godwin, who was until now the second best player in the state junior Badminton, now the winner of the two positions of best player and No 1 player in the state.
In a remark, the Chairman of the Niger State Badminton Association, Alhaji Nma Kolo expressed satisfaction with the performances of the junior players during the mini tournament adding that they deserved to be assisted with training opportunities and encouragement towards becoming professionals.
According to him, “this mini tournament is aimed at catching them young at the rural communities and to help them build capacity towards becoming future national and international champions. For this tournament, three local governments participated, however I want to assure you that all the 25 local governments in the state would join the competition in the next edition “.
Speaking in an Interview with Journalists, the Niger State Badminton Association Head Coach, Ismail Mohammed described the tournament as a developmental grassroot programme designed for under age players starting from Under 15 boys and girls categories fron Bida, Kontagora and Minna.
He said, “honestly, as a coach, I thought it was going to be a kind of easy tournament for them, but the players came out and gave a good fight. I think it was a shock for me to see that the number 1 was the one that lost the finals and our number 2 was the one who won the mini tournament”.
Coach Ismail Mohammed expressed appreciation to the State Chairman of the Niger State Barminton Association, Nma Kolo for the continued support and cooperation in the development of sports in general and Badminton in particular in the state
” I’m very sure that Chairman Nma Kolo has really been supporting the young players. That is why you saw the way they play today and that is the way they have been playing because of the support of the stakeholders and even from the association members, including the chairman. He buy them racket, buy them canvas, sometimes pay their school fees, give them transportation”, he said.
