Cyril Ogar

The Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) has concluded its two-day strategic retreat aimed at repositioning badminton for sustainable growth, grassroots expansion, elite performance, and stronger contribution to Nigeria’s sports economy.

The retreat, held from May 13 to 14, 2026, in Abuja, brought together key stakeholders in the sports sector, including President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), Habu Gumel; Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Shehu Dikko; President of the Badminton Federation of Nigeria, Francis Orbih and board members.

The retreat focused on developing a strategic framework for badminton development, covering grassroots expansion, elite athlete pathways, technical advancement, gender inclusion, competition structures, sports business opportunities, and athlete welfare.

Speaking during the retreat, NSC Chairman, Mallam Shehu Dikko, said the initiative aligns with the Commission’s Renewed Hope Initiative Framework (RHIF), which mandates sports federations to develop measurable and sustainable strategic plans.

The NSC boss stressed that sports development must go beyond medal ambitions to include economic value creation, youth empowerment, grassroots participation, and sustainable structures.

“This is part of what we have asked all federations to do. They must assess their capacity, define their short, medium, and long-term goals, and come up with strategic plans that can guide their development programmes,” Dikko stated.

“You cannot isolate grassroots development from elite performance, technical growth, or sports business. Everything must grow together if sports is to become a strong contributor to the Nigerian economy,” he added.

Also speaking, NOC President, Engineer Habu Gumel, commended the federation’s leadership and the steady rise of badminton within and outside Nigeria. Gumel further emphasized the importance of long-term planning and institutional continuity in sustaining progress across the sport.

“Badminton is doing very well both in Nigeria and internationally, and the federation’s leadership has continued to position the sport positively so that our athletes can continue to make the country proud,” Gumel said.

“Federations must continue to build structures that will sustain progress, nurture talents, and ensure continuity. What badminton is demonstrating today reflects vision, purpose, and commitment to development,” he noted.

Earlier, BFN President, Francis Orbih, said the retreat was designed to align stakeholders behind a common vision for badminton development over the next four years and beyond.

Orbih added that the federation’s growth agenda remains holistic, with emphasis on player development, technical education, gender inclusion, administration, and financial sustainability.

“This retreat is about having strategic conversations that will give direction to the future of badminton in Nigeria. Our focus is on grassroots development, technical advancement, elite performance, and creating pathways that will consistently produce podium results,” Orbih stated.

“As we develop players, we are also developing coaches, umpires, technical officials, and administrators because every part of the system is important for sustainable growth. We also want more women involved both in playing and administration,” he explained.

On his part, Technical Director of the federation, Tunde Kazeem, described the technical department as the engine room of badminton development, highlighting plans to strengthen coaching, officiating, and player data management nationwide.

The Kwara State-born administrator said that the federation plans to intensify grassroots and female badminton development through structured age-grade competitions, school programmes, and nationwide talent identification initiatives.

“We are looking at the database of players, the number and grading of coaches, as well as technical officials because you cannot develop players without sound coaches and efficient umpires,” Kazeem said.

“We are paying more attention to female badminton while expanding grassroots tournaments across all zones with Under-12, Under-15, Under-19, and senior competitions. We are also engaging states on facilities development and preparing to host more national and continental events,” he added.

The retreat is expected to produce a detailed strategic framework that will guide the federation’s development programmes, competition calendar, talent identification system, technical growth, and international performance targets in line with Nigeria’s broader sports development agenda.

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