The Board of the Nigeria Judo Federation (NJF) has unanimously passed a vote of confidence on its president, Dr. Musa Oshodi, for his leadership and transformation of the sport in the country.
The resolution was adopted on Monday, 18 August, at the statutory meeting of the Board, held online. The motion was moved by the federation’s Vice-President 3 and Technical Director, Omo Oba Segun Gbayi.
The vote follows Enku Ekuta’s bronze medal in the women’s -63kg category at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, which ended a 24-year medal drought for Nigerian judo at the Commonwealth Games, with the country’s last medal in the sport won by Alice Livinus in Manchester in 2002.
In a communiqué, the Board said the medal was the direct outcome of policies instituted under Oshodi’s administration, pointing to transparent Commonwealth Games trials held in Abuja that produced Ekuta and other qualifiers, improved training camps and international exposure for athletes, and consistent medal-winning performances at the African Judo Championships, where Ekuta won gold in 2020 and silver in 2019.
“Dr. Oshodi has repositioned Nigerian judo and taken it to enviable heights through purposeful leadership, accountability, and athlete-centered programmes. The Commonwealth medal is proof that our system is working,” the Board said.
The Board described Ekuta’s achievement as symbolic and called for greater investment in grassroots development and athlete welfare nationwide, adding that the federation would build on the momentum ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games, the African Games, and other international engagements.
In his response to the vote of confidence, Dr. Oshodi, who was re-elected unopposed as the President of the Nigeria Judo Federation (NJF) for a second four-year term on September 11, 2025, during the federation’s elective congress in Abuja, dedicated the Commonwealth medal to Nigerian judokas, coaches, and stakeholders across the country and pledged to consolidate the gains and make judo one of Nigeria’s consistently medal-winning sports.
Packaged by Lanre Olabisi
