Welcome to the year 2018

Dear Nigerian Badminton Family,

On behalf of the Board of the Badminton Federation of Nigeria, I welcome you all to the year 2018. I wish each and every one of you a very happy New Year. May God’s grace, favour and joy be our strength all through this year. Amen.

The year 2017 was a very eventful one for badminton in Nigeria, with the mid-year election and inauguration of the new Board for the Federation.

During the transition period, our players, with the support of the Lagos State Government, participated in the West Africa Circuit, which included Ivory Coast and Benin Republic Internationals. They emerged overall champions at both events.

Back home, the Lagos State Government sustained the sponsorship of the 3rd Lagos International Badminton Championship, living up to its billing as the biggest and most prestigious badminton championship in Africa.

We say a big thank you to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode for making Lagos State the biggest supporter and sponsor of Badminton in Nigeria in 2017.

As many may recall, on assumption of office, this Board promised to reach out to all stakeholders that are willing to work with the Federation to move badminton to the next level. It therefore gives us great pleasure to report that within a very short time, our efforts have already started yielding dividends. The Federation was able to organize two National Badminton Championships back to back, a feat unprecedented in the history of Nigerian badminton. This is more remarkable bearing in mind that there has not been a national championship in about 5 years.

Special appreciation must therefore go to Alh Malik Anas, Patron of Golden Star Badminton Club, Katsina and Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi, Group Chairman, Mutual Benefits Assurance Plc and Chairman, Police College Badminton Club, Ikeja, Lagos, for graciously sponsoring and hosting the National Championships.

The Federation may have achieved some successes in 2017, but it also had to overcome many challenges, as it was not an easy ride. We thank God we were able to remain focused.

We are indeed grateful to all who contributed in one way or the other towards these achievements. This is because we recognize that the success of any organization depends primarily on the co-operation of all stakeholders, as there is no substitute to unity and teamwork.

In any area we may have fallen short or below expectation, we are committed to working harder to do better in the year 2018. This we can only achieve with your support and with all hands on deck.

The outlook for the New Year is very encouraging as 2018 will be a glorious year for Badminton in Nigeria.

We plan to have our players participate in more international competitions beginning with the African Championships in Algeria and the Thomas and Uber Cup qualifiers.

On the home front, we plan to organize at least four National championships and three age grade tournaments. We intend to go back to the grassroots to develop the next generation of our players.

The Federation is in discussion with equipment and kits manufacturers in an effort to make them more affordable and available for our players.

We intend to give Para-Badminton more attention this year by organizing and attending more Para-Badminton programmes while also paying attention to their special equipment needs.

We are positive and convinced we will break new grounds and attain greater heights. This positive mindset and conviction derives from our resolve to think outside the box. We recognize the fact that doing things the same way translates to getting the same results, which is why we intend to bring about changes to improve the game.

Some of the changes might be radical but very critical and fundamental for us to achieve our set goals. We will set up strong structures, systems and processes that will be enduring. We will interview and appoint National Coaches within the first quarter of the year, and release the Guidelines and Code of Conduct for Coaches, Umpires and Players.

Our players are now ranked as we also intend to have our Coaches and Umpires graded. During the two National Championships in Katsina and Lagos, we introduced for the first time in the history of the game the online entries for Tournaments via our newly upgraded website www.badmintonnigeria.org. We will continue explore avenues of using technology to drive our systems and processes for better results. In all of these, we will need your support and cooperation as everybody has a role to play, which reinforces our belief that together we can make a difference.

We wish to appreciate the Players, Coaches, Umpires and Officials for always contributing their quota to the development of the game. The Federation will do all within its power to ensure our Coaches, Umpires and Officials undergo more training to further develop the technical department of the game. Details of these programmes will be in our calendar for the year, which will be released in a couple of days.

A big thanks goes to the Federal Ministry of Youths & Sports, Corporate Bodies, States Ministries of youths & Sports and Sports Commissions, State Badminton Associations, Clubs, friends in the media and all other stakeholders that have in one way or the other contributed towards the successes recorded in 2017.

We are truly grateful to each and every one of you for your support and we look forward to your continued support in 2018 as we join hands to take badminton to greater heights.

Best wishes once again and God bless you.

Francis Orbih Esq.
President.