Abuja: The President of the Nigeria Rugby Football Federation (NRFF), Ademola Ar©, has charged coaches, referees, and medical officers to return to their communities and apply the knowledge acquired from a three-day World Rugby training programme. Ar© gave the charge on Saturday at the end of the intensive coaching, refereeing, and medical course held in Abuja. He urged the participants to become catalysts for the development of rugby in their respective states, stressing that the growth of the sport depended largely on their commitment and expertise.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, about 80 participants registered for the three-day seminar and workshop, with the federation expecting the knowledge gained to impact rugby development across the country. World Rugby East and Southern Africa Game Growth Manager, Robert Bwari, expressed satisfaction with the progress recorded by rugby in Nigeria, particularly in coaching, refereeing, and medical development. Bwari stated that Nigeria now has World Rugby educators who can train coaches and referees locally, thus reducing the need for international educators.
The federation also announced the appointment of six ambassadors by the NRFF president to represent the federation across the six geopolitical zones. One of the newly appointed ambassadors, Lazarus Nuhu, commended the federation for its commitment to rugby development and thanked the leadership for the confidence reposed in him. Additionally, Angulu Suleiman was announced as the new Technical Director, and he emphasized the importance of building on the foundation set by the training programme to advance rugby in Nigeria.
NRFF board member and World Rugby-certified instructor, Wuraola Hussain, highlighted the federation’s sustained investment in technical development as a significant contributor to the growth of rugby. Hussain urged participants to utilize the knowledge acquired during the course to develop the next generation of rugby coaches, referees, and players in their respective communities.