Sports

Fresh Air, As Dikko Resumes As NSC Chairman, Unveils 3-Pillar For Sports Growth

Published

7 months ago

October 30, 2024

Joel Ajayi

The newly appointed Chairman of National Sports Commision Malam Shehu Dikko on Wednesday officially assumed office unveiled 3 Pillars to growth sport sector.

Just last week President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appointed Shehu Dikko as Chairman of the National Sports Commission.

Speaking shortly in Abuja after outgoing Minister of Sports Senator John Enoh officially handed over the affairs of the Country’s Sports to him in a brief ceremony in Abuja.

He expressed that the Country’s journey towards a sustainable Sports Economy has begun.

According to him, history has a way of coming full circle because in 2008 I was a consultant to the House of Representatives and was responsible for the drafting of the National Sports Commission Bill and about 16 years down the line i have here with the assignment to implement the work I assisted to put together”.

“The objective of Mr President is to harness the full potentials of the Sports Economy in Nigeria”.

“And we have to first change our mindset from the fixation of just competitions and winning medals and come back and fix our Domestic Sports Development”.

“When we set the foundation right the results and the winning of medals will naturally come in a sustainable manner and that should be the new mindset”.

“We cannot continue to run in cycles so we need to have a different approach from day one because in my view and indeed the view of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, competitions is what we call “Consumption” because we just take scarce resources and burn out abroad without any impact on the domestic sports development and the Nigerian Economy.

“But we have to go back to “Production” which is deliberate Sports Development, where we set the structure right, set the framework and put together good parameters to have a sustainable Sports Development which will naturally give us a solid Sports Economy and indeed guaranteed competitive participation at all competitions and medals.

“This is the reason why our administration will be focus on three Pillars including running Sports as a National Asset, that is entitled to special privileges, regulations and concessions to drive growth and development to open its potentials to be a key driver of the economy across all sectors, a vehicle for achieving national cohesion and projection of the positive and unique attributes of our culture and national identity “.

” We have to also work on Legislations and Regulations so as to set the framework to enable the Industry to grow effectively like what happened in the communications industry some years back”.

” The other Pillar is investing in purposeful world class infrastructures that will provide an enabling environment for Growth. These infrastructures must be deliberate with maintenance culture and span from world class infrastructure for professional sports to community infrastructure to drive grassroots sports and mass participation across the country.

” The thinking of Mr President is that , after having some of all these in place we should be able to measure the Country’s Sports by its contribution to the nation’s GDP by at least three percent and the number of jobs sports and its value chain are providing in country in the next four to five years and indeed our competitiveness across all competitions and tournaments.

Thus it’s a fantastic decision for Mr. President to approve the return of the National Sports Comission to drive the process and objectives in line to the best international practices and standards devoid of any beureucratic bottlenecks but absolute professionalism.”

In his remark, the outgoing Sportst Minister Senator John Enoh expressed: “For me it’s farewell, it’s bye bye and for mallam shehu Dikko it’s welcome that is what life is all about, there is time for everything.

He however thumbed president Tinubu for scrapping Sports Ministry and bring back the NSC to enable sports to grow in the country, saying that the decision remain a great positive that will grow Sports.

On his remark, the most senior staff of the ministry, Director of Medicine Paul Onyedo pledged staff support to work with incoming Chairman to the best of their ability. “We are ready to give our best.”

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Sports

No crisis in NAWIS ahead of AFN elections on Monday

Published

4 hours ago

June 8, 2025

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The Association of Nigerian Women in Sports (NAWIS), known for its orderliness since its establishment in 1990, continues to uphold its standards ahead of the upcoming Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) elections.

With members across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, NAWIS has consistently operated without external interference.

Over the years, its members have been nominated to various boards of national sports federations after meeting established criteria, including the payment of annual dues.

The association has attracted a strong base of respected sportswomen who have served the country with distinction, both during and after their active careers.

In preparation for the AFN elections, zonal elections were conducted on June 2 and 3, producing representatives for the national exercise.

While NAWIS initially planned to hold its election in Zaria, Kaduna State, the association’s headquarters, it was later rescheduled for Abuja on Monday, June 9, following directives from higher authorities.

Importantly, NAWIS has a set of strict guidelines that govern its electoral process, particularly the requirement for timely payment of annual dues. Failure to meet this condition results in automatic disqualification.

This guideline was the basis for the disqualification of Maria Wophil, who has reportedly not paid her annual dues since 2017. Her attempt to hurriedly settle outstanding debts just before the election was deemed non-compliant with NAWIS regulations.

Who is Fatima Yusuf-Olukoju?

Commonwealth gold medallist Fatima Yusuf-Olukoju is one of the leading contenders for the NAWIS representative position in the AFN.

She made history as the first African woman to run the 400m in under 50 seconds and brought glory to Nigeria by winning a silver medal in the 4x400m relay at the Atlanta 1996 Olympics.

Yusuf-Olukoju also claimed gold in the 400m at the 1991 All-Africa Games and silver in the 200m.

Based on nominations and her track record, Yusuf-Olukoju is considered the most qualified candidate. However, three other contenders have also shown interest, and the final decision will be made in the election slated for Monday, June 9, in Abuja.

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