Volleyball: Nigeria secures hosting rights for African tournament
By Olaolu Joseph
Nigeria will host the 2025 African Women’s Volleyball Inter-Club Competition, scheduled to take place from April 1 to April 14, 2025.
This announcement was made on Monday by the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, during a courtesy visit to the National Sports Commission (NSC) in Abuja.
Leading a delegation of NCS officers, Adeniyi revealed that Nigeria won the hosting rights after a competitive bidding process, defeating bids from other African nations, including Egypt and Tanzania.
The Comptroller General expressed confidence in the Nigeria Customs Service women’s volleyball team, the only Nigerian team participating in the tournament, stating that the aim is to “host and win.”
“Sports is not a secondary activity for the NCS. Our officers must possess the attributes of good athletes to excel in their duties. After extensive efforts, Nigeria has been awarded the hosting rights for the 2025 African Women’s Volleyball Inter-Club Competition, which will take place from April 1 to 14, 2025,” Adeniyi stated.
“This tournament will be organized in collaboration with the Nigeria Volleyball Federation. With the preparations underway, I am confident that our women’s team will not disappoint Nigerians as we aim to host and win.
“We also seek the support of the National Sports Commission to make this dream a reality. On our part, we will provide buses to the Commission to be distributed among some sports federations to assist in transporting national teams,” he added.
Responding to the announcement, the Chairman of the NSC, Mallam Shehu Dikko, commended the NCS for its contributions to sports development and assured them of government support.
“We will ensure that the Customs team receives all necessary support from the government. One of the priorities of President Tinubu’s administration is to see Nigeria host as many international competitions as possible. This will not only develop our athletes but also help in maintaining sports infrastructure,” Dikko stated.
The championship, which will be sponsored by the Nigeria Customs Service, comes as a reward for the NCS women’s volleyball team, who earned their spot by winning the Nigeria Volleyball League in 2024.
The African Women’s Volleyball Championship, organized biannually by the African Volleyball Confederation (CAVB), is the premier competition for senior women’s volleyball teams in Africa.
Kenya is the current champion, having claimed its tenth title at the 2023 tournament in Yaoundé, Cameroon.
