By Samuel Ahmadu.
The heart of Kogi’s sporting identity is bleeding — quietly, painfully, and dangerously. What was once a beacon of pride in women’s football, Confluence Queens Football Club, now stands as a symbol of neglect and administrative confusion. The recent appointment within the club, instead of igniting optimism, has deepened uncertainty and raised fresh concerns about the direction of sports development in Kogi State.
Across Kogi’s sporting community, voices are growing faint — not for lack of love for the game, but for lack of hope. The silence that greeted the club’s recent announcement is telling; it reflects the collective disillusionment of a state whose sports heartbeat is fading fast.
It is painful to recall that Confluence Queens only survived relegation last season by the grace of league expansion, not performance. Now, with rumours that as many as six teams could go down this season, the fear is real: the team might not be lucky again. This looming danger makes every decision, every appointment, and every administrative move a matter of survival — not politics.
But beyond who gets appointed lies a far deeper crisis — one that speaks to our conscience as a state that once took pride in nurturing champions.
Player Welfare: A Question of Dignity
In a country where most women’s clubs are finally beginning to treat their players with decency, Confluence Queens still pay a paltry ₦100,000 monthly, while other teams pay twice that or more. For athletes who give their bodies, time, and emotions to represent Kogi, this is not just unfair — it is demeaning.
These players train in the scorching sun and pour out their hearts every weekend for the pride of the Confluence State, yet they live with less comfort and recognition than their peers elsewhere. Governor Ododo, this must change.
Team Logistics: A Journey Too Rough
It remains a stain on our collective conscience that a state-owned club — the only surviving top-flight side from Kogi — still relies on a single aging Hummer bus, while privately owned teams cruise in 32-seater Coaster or luxury buses.
In 2023, the team was spotted hitching a ride on a Dangote Cement truck along Okene Road just to find their way home. That image was not just heartbreaking — it was humiliating. It showed how deep the rot had gone. Since 2018, the club has had no stable means of transportation — not even for short distances between camp and training ground.
What message does this send to the young girls who dream of wearing the Confluence Queens jersey someday?
Camp Conditions: Living in Neglect
The club’s camp tells a story of abandonment — no regular water supply, unstable electricity, and insufficient accommodation. Players fetch water outside to bathe, to wash, to survive. How can performance thrive in such deprivation?
Even more troubling, Confluence Queens are now in search of a new home ground, as the state currently lacks a standard and acceptable football venue that meets league requirements. If urgent action is not taken, the team could be forced to play their home matches outside Kogi State — a tragedy that would not only rob local fans of their pride but symbolically confirm the decline of Kogi sports.
Beyond Confluence Queens: The Decay of Youth Sports in Kogi
The problem is bigger than one club. Kogi’s sports structure as a whole is collapsing, leaving the state’s talented youth with little or no opportunity to thrive. From local tournaments to school competitions, the once-vibrant sporting calendar has gone silent.
The recent National Sports Festival in Abeokuta and National Youth Games in Asaba exposed the harsh truth — Kogi’s presence was barely felt. The state that once produced young champions is now reduced to a faint mention, struggling to even field complete contingents in several sports.
How can the youth excel when there are no functional training facilities, no grassroots programmes, and no deliberate investment in sports academies? The stadiums are idle, school fields are overgrown, and most communities have no single usable playground.
Our youth are not short of talent — they are short of opportunity. The few who still dream of a career in sports often leave the state entirely, seeking platforms that Kogi itself should have provided. This silent exodus is robbing the state of its future stars and sporting pride.
It is time to raise a strong and urgent alarm: Kogi is on the brink of losing an entire generation of athletes. If nothing changes, our sports future will be written in past tense.
A Cry for Leadership
Your Excellency, Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, this is not just about Confluence Queens. It is about the soul of Kogi sports. The Queen’s decline mirrors the neglect of other state sports structures that once gave our youth purpose, pride, and escape from vices.
Sports, if properly managed, can employ hundreds, inspire thousands, and unify millions. But when poorly handled, it decays quietly — just like what is happening now.
The people are not asking for miracles; they are pleading for attention, for compassion, for deliberate leadership. Confluence Queens do not need pity — they need policy. They need a governor who will take bold steps to rebuild sports infrastructure, review welfare policies, and inject accountability into club management.
As one heartbroken fan put it, “Must we wait for Confluence Queens to be relegated before realizing how deeply our sports structures are deteriorating?”
The Way Forward: Rebuilding the Future of Kogi Sports
To restore confidence and revive the state’s sports fortunes, there must be a deliberate, structured, and well-funded roadmap for sports development under your leadership, Your Excellency. Kogi can no longer afford half-hearted efforts or politically motivated appointments.
- Establish a Functional and Autonomous Kogi State Sports Commission:
Reconstitute the existing sports bureau into a professional, independent, and well-structured commission with clear statutory powers, defined funding, and the freedom to plan long-term programmes without political interference. This commission must be headed by individuals of proven competence, experience, and passion — not political loyalists. - Detach Sports from Youth:
Kogi must separate Sports from Youth affairs. Combining the two has, over the years, diluted focus and undermined performance. Sports require technical, professional management and strategic investment, while youth development is a broader social mandate. Keeping both under one office continues to cripple the growth of sports in the state. - Prioritize Player Welfare and Motivation:
Review salary structures across all state-owned clubs to match national standards. Welfare, medical care, and insurance for players and coaches must be non-negotiable. When athletes are treated with dignity, they perform with pride. - Upgrade Infrastructure and Logistics:
Provide modern transportation, functional camp facilities, and a standard home stadium for Confluence Queens and other state teams. Revive grassroots sporting facilities in secondary schools and communities to rebuild the talent pipeline. - Accountability and Transparency:
Introduce administrative audits and monitoring systems to ensure funds allocated to sports are used for sports. Appointments should be based on merit, capacity, and track record — not patronage. - Develop a State Sports Policy and Annual Calendar:
Kogi needs a coherent, long-term sports policy that defines its vision, goals, and funding priorities, including annual competitions and talent development programmes across all local governments.
Conclusion: The Queen Must Not Fall
Governor Ododo, Kogi’s only surviving top-flight team — Confluence Queens — stands at the crossroads between relevance and ruin. Their struggles are not isolated; they are reflections of the broader crisis in Kogi sports.
To let this team collapse would be to dim one of the brightest lights the state has left in Nigerian sports. But to rebuild it — to rescue it — would inspire a new generation and restore the pride of the Confluence.
The time to act is now. Kogi cannot afford silence anymore.
The Queen must not fall and sports must not die.
– Samuel Ahmadu is a Sports Journalist and Football Administrator
