Nigeria, Qatar Forge Stronger Sporting Ties In Strategic Meeting

The National Sports Commission (NSC) has held a strategic meeting with Qatar aimed at deepening sports relationships and collaborations between Nigeria and the Asian nation.

The meeting brought together the Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Mallam Shehu Dikko, the Ambassador of Qatar to Nigeria, H.E. Yousef Mohammed Ahmed Al-Hail, and the Minister of Youth Development, Comrade Olawande Ayodele.

According to a press statement signed by Mrs Kehinde Ajayi director of press and public relations, NSC, the engagement follows a state visit by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to Qatar in March 2024, where wide-ranging agreements were reached to strengthen economic ties, including a specific cooperation agreement in the area of sports. The current meeting served to “add flesh” to that agreement, according to Mallam Dikko, and to activate the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the mutual benefit of both nations.

Mallam Dikko emphasized President Tinubu’s deliberate approach to using sports as a tool for social and economic development. He highlighted the recent scrapping of the Sports Ministry and the establishment of the NSC to harness the potential of the sports economy, declaring sports a national asset contributing at least 1% to the nation’s GDP quarterly. The NSC aims to create approximately 2 million direct, indirect, and induced jobs through sports.

A key focus of the discussions was infrastructure development. “There is a lot that we can learn from Qatar with regard to sports especially on infrastructure development,” Mallam Dikko stated, referencing Qatar’s successful hosting of the World Cup and its world-class sporting facilities. He expressed optimism that activating the MoU would streamline efforts to fix Nigeria’s sporting infrastructure.

Minister of Youth Development, Comrade Olawande Ayodele, echoed these sentiments, stressing the importance of sports in engaging Nigerian youth and diverting them from social vices. He proposed the establishment of a sports academy to benefit young people.

Ambassador Al-Hail expressed optimism about the deepened relations and assured Qatar’s cooperation in various areas, including sporting infrastructure, boosting national teams’ preparations, academy development, hosting sporting events, and exporting sporting talents.

The meeting concluded with a clear understanding to establish a working team immediately to determine the structures and timelines for activating the MoU and commencing activities across both countries.