There are indications that it would no longer be business as usual in Nigeria’s sports system as chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Malam Shehu Dikko, charged sports federation presidents and secretaries to submit their programmes and developmental growth, saying any federation that fails to comply will not be allowed to participate in international competitions.
Dikko gave the directive during a strategic meeting with presidents and secretaries of various national sports federations in Abuja, yesterday, saying President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s new mandate aimed at transforming Nigerian sports into a sustainable economy, do not want federation presidents who are not committed but only there to protect their personal interests.
The meeting marked the first official engagement between the leadership of NSC and sports federation presidents after the scrapping of the Ministry of Sports Development by President Tinubu.
Dikko emphasized the shared vision between the NSC and Sports Federations, stressing the importance of partnership in driving growth and sustainability in Nigerian sports.
“We believe we are all partners with the various Sports Federations, working together for the same goal — to reposition Nigerian sports.
“We came here with a clear mandate from Mr. President to get sports working again by building a sustainable sports economy.
We can’t just measure our sports by participation in tournaments but by its contributions to the entire economy, and that is the new mandate and direction,” Dikko said.
To achieve the set goals, Dikko warned that the NSC will be stricter with the federations, noting that any federations that fail to show developmental growth will not be allowed to participate in international competitions.
“Our thinking is that competitions are basically consumption, while development is production. At the end of the day, we want the success of all of us to be measured by the development we put on the ground to get the sports growing and create value. Then we can move to the next level of competitions,” he explained.
He further revealed ongoing plans to establish the National Sports Development Fund and Sports Infrastructure Board through legislative acts, saying the structures are expected to provide a solid financial and infrastructural foundation to support sports development across the country.
Speaking at the strategic meeting, director-general of NSC< Hon. Bukola Olopade, emphasized the NSC’s commitment to athlete development and governance restructuring.
“One thing we have also worked on is getting a consultant to come work with the Commission. Mr Bambo Akani, Founder & CEO of Making of Champions will be our Consultant, working closely with the Commission to develop a relationship with the elite athletes across all the Sports through the Elite Development and Podium Board,” Olopade revealed.
He announced plans to establish a training fund for exceptional athletes, which will commence in February 2025. The fund will ensure athletes receive financial support for training well ahead of major competitions.
“Once we do that, we will start paying their training funds long before a major event. The days of athletes getting training grants at competition venues are gone,” Olopade stated.
He also emphasized the NSC’s efforts to improve governance within Sports Federations by introducing a corporate governance structure and appointing marketing-driven Chief Operating Officers (COOs). He applauded the Nigeria Rugby Federation for leading this effort with the appointment of Babatunde Adeluola as its COO.
