By Teddy Nwanunobi
The trio of the Nigeria Archery Federation (NAFED) President, Mohammed Baba Abdullahi, Vice President Augustine Obiefuna Chigbolu, and Coach Aliyu Garga are leading the Team Nigeria delegation for the 15th African Archery Championships, with genuine medal ambitions.
Daily NewsCraft reports that the team left Nigeria on Sunday for Algeria ahead of the tournament which will hold from July 21 to 26 in Oran.
Nigeria is fielding an 18-athlete delegation across six divisions in what NAFED described as the country’s largest and most balanced team at a continental championship to date.
The delegation, competing in the compound, includes: Aliyu Abubakar, Ogheneovo Odjuwuederhie, Seun Emmanuel Oyeleke and Damilola Bartholomew Sholademi in the men’s compound category, Kachollom Larai Enyenihi, and Haareke Evans in the women’s compound event, and Tobi Bello, Tosin Junaid, and Francis Okechukwu Okwu in the men’s recurve division, with Dara Dorcas Banjo representing Nigeria in the women’s recurve event.
The barebow categories will see Abdul Rahman Obasa, Abdulbasit Sanni, Arulogun Segun Joseph, and Abubakar Usman compete for the men, while Faith Adekogbe, Aminat Adeyemi, Mandu Eteidung, and Precious Fanny-Amun fly the flag for the women.
Nigeria go into the championships, holding at the Mediterranean Village in Oran, with genuine medal ambitions, having previously won medals at the African Championships in Pretoria in 2022, and Nabeul, Tunisia, in 2023, before claiming gold at the African Championships in Abidjan and Africa’s first Run Archery Tournament, also in Abidjan, both in 2025.
NAFED’s Director of Marketing, Emmanuel Oyeleke, called on corporate Nigeria to back the team, noting the significant costs involved in fielding a national delegation at continental level.
“Every arrow our athletes send towards the target in Oran carries the hopes of a nation and the future of a sport that is growing faster in Nigeria than anywhere else on the continent. These athletes have trained with discipline and sacrifice. What they need now is the backing of corporate Nigeria, partners who want to be part of a story of excellence at the very beginning of its arc,” Oyeleke said.
The championships will open with official practice and equipment inspection on July 21, followed by the qualification round on July 22, individual eliminations on July 23, and team and mixed team eliminations on July 24, before finals and award ceremonies close out the event on July 25 and 26.