Africa Nations Championship: Nigeria’ll dominate Africa, says Mohammed

By Oviri Kelvin, Sports Editor

The newly appointed head coach of Nigeria‘s U21 boys’ volleyball national team, Sani Mohammed, is confident that the country will dominate Africa in the forthcoming U21 Africa Boys Nations Championships scheduled from August 12-23 in Tunisia.

Mohammed, judging from his antecedent with the U19 boys’ national team where most of the players were promoted to U21, stated that the squad is fit and ready for the task ahead.

“I am familiar with all the players in the U21 because I was their coach in the U19 team,” Mohammed said.

“I won the U19 African title twice and attended the FIVB U19 World Championship twice; I am optimistic Nigeria will dominate the U21 in Africa.

“Most of the players are key players in their respective club sides, they are fit and ready to make Nigeria proud at the forthcoming African U21 Boys Nations Championships,” he added.

The double-title-winning coach in the Africa U21 Boys Nations Championships appointed alongside Suleiman Ajeigbe as his assistant by the Nigeria Volleyball Federation (NVBF), will prepare the squad in a camp in Kaduna State before they jet out for the continental tourney.

Meanwhile, in a statement by NVBF Chairman Media and Publicity, Hon Famous Daunemigha, 17 players have been invited to the camp which were mainly drawn from the U19 squad that won the last U19 Africa Boys Nations Championships in Nigeria.

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Daunemigha said, “the three-week training exercise would be strictly for U21 players and that Invited players have been contacted and intense training has begun.”

He explained that Michael Abari, AbdulQuadri Jaiyeola, Dhikirullahi Oyedepo, Jerry Kinze, Vincent Mathias and Pascal Ozokoye are some of the products of the National U19 programme that have graduated to the National U21 Team.

Furthermore, Sani Mohammed coaches Nasa Thunders while Suleiman Ajeigbe coaches OFFA VC in the nation’s volleyball league.

The 2022 African U21 Boys Nations Championships is scheduled for 12th to 23rd August in Tunisia.

THE FULL LIST

AbdulQuadri Jaiyeola (OFFA VC), Dhikirullahi Oyedepo (OFFA VC), Emmanuel Oko (CNS Spikers), Paul Ogwulumba (Sunshine Spikers), Timothy Ogwulumba (Sunshine Spikers), Peter Mathias (CNS), Paul Mathias (CNS), Michael
Abari (Kano Pillars), Jerry Kinze (Nigeria Customs Service), Lucky Pamler (Kano Pillars), Jerry Alex (Kada Kings), Michael Digil (CNS), Vincent Mathias (COAS Spikers), Pascal Ozokoye (NSCDC), AbdulJelil Abdullah (Nasarawa), John Solomon (Niger Brass), Endurance Afagami (Kada Kings).

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