Abeokuta: The Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Malam Shehu Dikko, announced that the forthcoming National Sports Festival (NSF) in Ogun, known as the ‘Gateway Games,’ will be a crucial assessment of the Federal Government’s current sports reforms.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the festival is scheduled to take place from May 16 to May 30. Dikko, speaking virtually from Milan, Italy, delivered a keynote address at the opening ceremony of the Extraordinary National Council on Sports meeting held on Tuesday in Abeokuta. He emphasized that an Olympics-standard National Sports Festival in Abeokuta would serve as a true measure of the ongoing reforms within Nigeria’s sports sector.
Dikko expressed appreciation for President Bola Tinubu’s decisive action to replace the Federal Ministry of Sports with the NSC, highlighting it as a pivotal moment for the sector. He stated, “Mr President is known for taking very bold decisions. The decision to reintroduce the NSC was a very bold one and truly challenged us.”
The NSC has aligned itself with the President’s Renewed Hope and Shared Prosperity agenda by launching the Renewed Hope Initiative for the Nigerian Sports Economy (RHINSE). This reform agenda, according to Dikko, marks a significant shift from being competition-driven to focusing on the comprehensive development of sports, spanning from grassroots to elite levels.
Dikko emphasized the importance of private sector participation, infrastructure improvements, and a stronger focus on grassroots and school sports. He stated, “We must prioritise talent development. If done right, Nigeria can generate significant revenue through the export of sporting talent. The goal is to make sports a major contributor to the national economy.”
He concluded by stating that the 22nd National Sports Festival in Abeokuta should set a new benchmark, aspiring to an Olympics-standard event that will define future editions.