Csed Initiative Awards First Netball Scholarship In Nigeria

Posted by Eric Ojo Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria, Sports News Thursday, April 7th, 2022

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Driven by its avowed commitment to the development of grassroots netball in Nigeria, Community Sport and Educational Development (CSED) Initiative, has blazed the trail by awarding the first netball scholarship in the country.

The CSED Initiative scholarship has awarded to Bilkisu Titus. Bilkisu, a netball player who was recently offered admission to study Social Works in the University of Benin (UNIBEN).

The scholarship awarded to Bilkisu will cover tuition, accommodation and monthly maintenance for the first two years of her four years’ university course.

Similarly, two Netball Africa certified coaches, Beauty Obamwonyi and Patience Urhobojevwe who are university students will be paid a one-off stipend of N60,000.

The scholarship award was disclosed by CSED Initiative National Coordinator, Edema Fuludu, during the events marking the International Day of Sports for Development and Peace (IDSDP) that was held recently at the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) Camp Uhogua in Edo State.

It would be recalled that during the latter part of the Covid-19 lockdown, these two young coaches took responsibility for the training of the netball players at the IDPs Camp Uhogua.

The highlight of the IDSDP event was the introduction of an adapted form of “Bee Netball,” which saw children between 8 to 11 years old having access to play netball for the first time.

Notably, the CSED Initiative built the first netball court in Nigeria this millennium at the IDPs Camp Uhogua in February 2020 and subsequently facilitated the training of the first set of Nigerian netball coaches that are certified by Netball Africa, the following month.

Before the end of December 2027, the organisation intends to actualise their goal of promoting Nigerian girls’ “right to play” netball by training one thousand, two hundred Physical Education (P.E.) Teachers, as well as by distributing free netball training equipment.

Achieving this, according to a statement by the leadership of CSED, will enable Nigerian girls to benefit from the empowering opportunities of participating in netball. “Hence, our desire to take netball to Nigerian students from primary school to university level”, the statement said.