Nigeria’s archery community recorded a major milestone as the 2026 NAFED National Open Archery Championship concluded in Abuja, with organisers describing the week-long competition as the most significant in the country’s history.
Held from 20 to 26 April at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, the championship featured 87 athletes from nine clubs, alongside newly introduced developmental categories, under-18 events, and a judges’ certification programme.
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Speaking after the event, the National Director, Technical of the Nigeria Archery Federation (NAFED), Damilola Sholademi, said the competition reflected years of deliberate structural work within the sport.
“This is not the Nigeria Archery Federation of five years ago,” he said. “What you saw this week is years of structural work paying off on the range. The clubs, the athletes, the officials — everyone came ready. That does not happen by accident.”
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ZEN Archery tops medal table
At the end of competition, ZEN Archery Club / Lagos State Archery Association finished as overall winners with six gold, two silver, and two bronze medals, claiming the Overall Best Team award.
The Nigerian Army Archery Club followed with four gold, five silver, and one bronze, while ARCH Archery Club and Academy placed third with three gold, four silver, and two bronze medals.
“A notable highlight was the role of ARCH Archery Club and Academy and Firefly Shooters Archery Club in the key role of hosting and being at the center of the organisation. The Defense Archery Club brought the largest delegation of over 20 athletes, making them the largest team at the event.”
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Mr Sholademi said such turnout reflects growing commitment within the sport.
“When a club shows up with 20 archers, that tells you something about their programme, their coaches, and their belief in what NAFED is building. That does not go unnoticed.”
Other participating clubs included Arewa Knights Archery Club, Rayfield Archery Club, Firefly Shooters Archery Club, Icon Archery Club, and Kingsmen Archery Club and Academy, making the event the most diverse national open in NAFED’s history.
Records fall across disciplines
The championship witnessed multiple national records across Barebow, Olympic Recurve, and Compound categories.
In Barebow, Gabriel Nojeh (ZEN Archery) and Wania Ahassan (ARCH Archery) set U-18 records at 15 metres, while Marvin Moses (ARCH) and Helen Mamman (Icon Archery) recorded new marks in the Senior Beginner category.
Further records were set by Mukhtar Hadi and Makeena Abdulhamid (ARCH) in the Senior Developmental category at 30 metres, while Umar Abubakar (Nigerian Army) and Faith Adekogbe (ZEN Archery) topped the 50-metre Senior Barebow records.
In Olympic Recurve, Muhammad Mubi (ARCH) and Folashade Oyebola (Nigerian Army) set new records in the Senior Developmental category at 50 metres, while David Omigie and Dara Banjo (ZEN Archery) delivered record performances at the 70-metre senior level.
The Compound category also produced standout results, with Abdulhakim Na’allah (ARCH) and Ayomide Akintunde (ZEN Archery) setting records at 30 metres, while Emmanuel Oyeleke and Oyindamola Adebisi (ZEN Archery) recorded new marks at 50 metres.
Focus on international standards
Organisers said the decision to run all disciplines at full international distances was deliberate, aimed at preparing athletes for continental competitions.
“You cannot prepare athletes for Oran by having them shoot at shorter distances domestically,” Mr Sholademi said. “The distance is part of the pressure. If your athletes have never competed at 70 meters under championship conditions, the African Championships is not where you want them to find out what that feels like.”
The multi-day competition format was also designed to test consistency and performance under sustained pressure.
“I have watched Nigerian archery grow for years, and I can tell you that what happened on that range this week belongs at the highest level. We ran this championship at pro distances because that is the standard our athletes are at. The results confirmed it.”
Youth development takes centre stage
Beyond medals and records, NAFED officials highlighted the introduction of developmental and under-18 categories as a key milestone.
“For me, the most important thing we did this week was give a developing archer the experience of competing at a national championship,” Mr Sholademi said. “Same officials. Same environment. Same weight. Just at a distance appropriate to where they are right now. That is how you build a sport.”
“The athletes who will be competing for Nigeria at major international championships in four, six, and eight years’ time are already out there,” he added. “They are training in clubs across this country right now. Our job is not to wait for them to be fully formed. Our job is to build the structures that develop them and give them an early national stage. That is what developmental categories and U-18 competition do.”
Judges’ development and capacity building
The federation also conducted a Level 1 Judges Development Programme alongside the championship, with newly trained officials immediately deployed during competition.
“For years, we have had clubs in states around the country who are doing serious work, training good archers, and wanting to run sanctioned events — but they do not have certified judges close enough to make it viable,” NAFED’s National Director, Technical noted. “We are changing that. Every judge we certify is a new center of capacity for this sport in Nigeria.”
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“Every element of this event was designed to leave something behind,” he added. “Not just results on a scoreboard but capacity, infrastructure, experience. A judge who certified this week and officiated their first championship on the same day is a different official from one who only sat in a classroom. That is what we want.”
Eyes on continental competition
With the 15th African Archery Championships in Oran, Algeria, three months away, NAFED says performances from the National Open will guide team selection.
“Oran is the target. Everything we built into this National Open was built with Algeria in mind,” Mr Sholademi said.
“I will not pretend that Oran is not on my mind constantly. It has been on my mind since we designed this championship. The distances we ran, the format, the quality of officiating, the pressure we put our athletes under — all of it was preparation. We are going to Algeria ready. I am confident in that.”
Looking ahead
NAFED said full results, updated rankings, and national team selections will be released in the coming days.
Reflecting on the championship, Mr Sholademi emphasised the collective effort behind the sport’s progress.
“Every club that showed up, every coach who prepared their athletes, every official who gave their time — this championship was theirs as much as it was NAFED’s,” he said. “Nigerian archery is what it is today because of the people who committed to it before it was easy to commit to. That is what I want recognised. The results this week are a reflection of them.”
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