I was scrolling through the messages in a Handball stakeholders’ group, the one that I was added to by a member, Bilyaminu Sani Abdullahi, when I came across a newly released table for the 2025 Ardova Premier Handball League, published by the Handball Federation of Nigeria.
The update immediately caught my attention, as it reflects the latest standings and developments in the ongoing Handball season.
It was a comprehensive table showing the standing positions of all the participating male and female teams in the competition, which is currently taking place at Rowe Park Sports Complex, Yaba, and the National Institute of Sports, Surulere, Lagos.
The league ran from 25th November to 5th December this year, bringing together top teams from across the country in an atmosphere of excitement and competitive spirit.
As usual, the first thing I did was to check the position of Kano State, my own state, in the ten-day-old competition.
To my surprise and, to be honest, with a deep sense of disappointment, I discovered that the name of my state was completely missing from the entire table.
It was unexpected and a bit unsettling to see every other participating team adequately represented, yet find no trace of Kano State anywhere in the standings.
That discovery truly surprised and even irked me, because I know that Kano state, against all odds, has been the traditional home of handball for a very long time.
I know our state has contributed immensely to the growth of the handball game, produced remarkable talents, and maintained a strong presence in national competitions.
But seeing Kano absent from the table, I felt completely out of place and raised many questions in my mind.
But to avoid jumping to conclusions, I quickly copied the table and shared it on my Facebook wall, in all the groups where I am a member, and with my WhatsApp contacts as well.
I wanted to be sure that I wasn’t misinterpreting anything or overlooking some vital information from the table.
As expected, many people responded by asking the very same question that immediately came to my mind when I first saw the table in the Handball stakeholders’ group: “Where is Kano State?”.
Their reactions confirmed that the omission was not just surprising to me alone, but to many others who also know Kano’s long-standing influence in the handball community.
Shehu Adamu, the current News and Current Affairs Manager of the Nigeria Television Authority, Kano and a former Media Officer of Kano Pillars Football Club, was the first person to raise the question: “Where is Kano State?”
His reaction was quickly followed by many others whose space and time will not allo me to mentioned, all echoing the same concern.
One after another, people kept asking why Kano State was missing or what could possibly explain its absence from the table.
Their responses showed that the omission was not just unusual, but truly alarming to anyone familiar with Kano’s long-standing presence in Nigerian handball.
I honestly expected that by now someone, either from the Kano State Handball Association, the Sports Commission, or any individual with credible information, would have stepped forward to clear the air and explain what prevented Kano from participating in the league.
It seemed only natural that those directly involved would address such an important concern, especially considering Kano’s long-standing reputation in the sport.
However, days have passed since the table was published, and not a single official word has come out.
Neither the Kano Handball Association nor the media unit of the Sports Commission or that of Sports Ministry has offered any clarification or update.
Their silence has only deepened the confusion and left many of us wondering what truly went wrong.
We cannot afford to let sports like handball fade away in Kano State, the way some other sports, once thriving here, have gradually declined despite the state’s historic excellence and contribution to the national sports scene.
Kano has always been a powerhouse in multiple disciplines, and it would be a huge loss if handball were allowed to follow the same path of neglect and decline.
It is truly disheartening to realize that other sports, such as hockey, volleyball and some other sports in which Kano was once a household name across the country, have now lost their prominence.
What was once a source of pride and national recognition for the state has gradually faded, leaving a void in Kano’s rich sporting legacy.
No, we must stand firm and take action to change this situation. It is a bad omen for the future of sports in Kano State.
Allowing handball, or any other sport with such a proud tradition, to fade away would be a serious and disastrous loss.
Now is the time for stakeholders, enthusiasts, and the community to come together and ensure that Kano’s sporting legacy is preserved and strengthened.
