NIS Partners ICAN To Improve Retirement Welfare Of Athletes, Coaches

The National Institute for Sports (NIS) is partnering the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) to promote financial literacy and improve retirement planning for Nigerian athletes and coaches.

Director-General of the NIS, Philip Shaibu, disclosed this yesterday when he received the ICAN President and Chairman of Council, Queensley S. Seghosime, and members of her council at the institute’s office at the Athletes Development Centre, Package B, MKO National Stadium, Abuja.

Shaibu said the collaboration would equip sportsmen and women with the financial knowledge and planning skills needed to secure their welfare after retiring from active competition.

He explained that the initiative was designed to help athletes and coaches manage their finances effectively during their careers and prepare for life after sports.

The NIS director-general also disclosed that the institute had begun a sensitisation programme across the North-West, North-Central and North-East geopolitical zones as part of efforts to expand its welfare and capacity-building initiatives nationwide.

He expressed appreciation to ICAN for appointing the NIS bursar, Nyakno Ololade Oluokun, to its governing council, describing the appointment as recognition of her professional competence and experience.

Shaibu assured the delegation that the NIS would continue to strengthen the partnership to develop sustainable welfare structures for athletes, coaches and other stakeholders in Nigerian sports.

Earlier, Seghosime commended Shaibu for allowing Oluokun to serve on ICAN’s governing council, describing her as a worthy ambassador of the NIS.

“By way of feedback, I am delighted to report that she is serving with great distinction. She brings to our deliberations sound judgement, deep professional insight and an admirable sense of duty, and she has shown remarkable dedication, diligence and commitment in every assignment entrusted to her,” Seghosime said.

She added that Oluokun’s service reflected the benefits of cooperation between the two institutions.

“Mrs Oluokun is a worthy ambassador of the National Institute for Sports and a credit to our profession. Her service is, in many ways, the first fruit of the partnership between our two institutes, and we are grateful to you for sharing her with us,” she said.

The ICAN president noted that Nigeria had abundant sporting talent but stressed that sustained success required discipline, competent coaching, investment and strong institutions capable of developing athletes.

“Nigeria has never been short of sporting talent. In every corner of our nation are young men and women capable of competing with the very best in the world. Yet talent alone does not guarantee lasting excellence. It must be nurtured through discipline, competent coaching, sustained investment and strong institutions that convert potential into performance,” she said.

Seghosime also highlighted the common values shared by sports and accountancy, including integrity, teamwork, discipline and measurable performance.

She said effective financial management was essential to the sustainability of sporting programmes, adding that institutions needed professionals capable of managing resources responsibly, anticipating risks and accounting for results.

The partnership is expected to strengthen financial education and retirement preparedness among Nigerian sports professionals, while deepening institutional cooperation between the NIS and ICAN.