Organisers of the annual Sportsville Special Recognition Award have announced a new date for the 2026 edition of the event.
According to a statement issued by Sportsville Chief Executive Officer, Frank Ilaboya, this year’s ceremony will now hold on April 3, 2026, instead of the earlier scheduled date of March 28, 2026.
Ilaboya explained that the postponement became necessary to allow for full participation, as some of the awardees and invited dignitaries are expected to be engaged in an important national assignment in Abuja on the original date.
“We realize that the earlier March 28 date is no longer feasible due to a pressing national assignment in Abuja which most of the awardees and invited dignitaries are also involved in.
“To give opportunity to most of the dignitaries invited for the ceremony, we have to move our date forward by one week,” Ilaboya said.
The Sportsville Special Recognition Award, now in its sixth edition, has become an annual gathering of top sports personalities, journalists and prominent members.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
