President of the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN), Francis Orbih, has been elected as a council member of the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
The election took place during the BWF Annual General Meeting held on Saturday, April 26, in Xiamen, China, where Orbih triumphed over top contenders from other African countries. He will join Cameroon’s Odette Assembe Engoulou on the council, while Chipo Zumburani of Zimbabwe and Hadia ElSaid of Egypt missed out.
An elated Orbih expressed his gratitude to fellow badminton presidents across the globe for their trust and support.
“I am deeply honoured by the trust placed in me by my peers across the badminton world,” he said. “I look forward to quality representation, driving development initiatives, and strengthening badminton’s global reach over the next four years.”
Orbih also acknowledged the support of the Federal Government of Nigeria, particularly the National Sports Commission (NSC), which he said played a significant role in his successful bid.
“The Chairman and the Director General of the NSC monitored the entire process. I’m grateful for their involvement and confident Nigeria will benefit from this,” he stated.
He further appreciated the BFN board members and the Nigerian badminton community for their prayers and continued belief in his leadership.
“From the day I declared my intentions, the board members of BFN have been supportive, and I promise not to disappoint them,” Orbih concluded.