Sports
Gaming the Future: Pedro Says Esports Entrepreneurs Are Nigeria’s Next Big Export
Joel Ajayi
The Chief Operating Officer of Esports Nigeria, Damilola Pedro, has expressed that the next generation of Nigerian exports may not only be footballers, but also gamers, game developers, and Esports entrepreneurs.
Speaking in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Saturday, Pedro emphasized the growing influence and potential of Esports in Nigeria.
“Esports is taking the stage—and so is the voice of an entire generation that has long been ignored, misunderstood, and underestimated,” he said.
“For decades, our youth have been told to put down the game controllers and ‘do something serious’ with their lives. Today, we’re here to say: they already are. The numbers don’t lie. Let’s talk facts.”
Pedro highlighted that the global video game industry is now worth over $180 billion—larger than the film and music industries combined. With over 3.3 billion gamers worldwide, Africa is projected to become the fastest-growing gaming population globally, with Nigeria expected to be at the forefront, projected to have one of the highest concentrations of gamers on the continent—and potentially the third largest globally.
“In 2023 alone, Esports tournaments awarded over $350 million in prize money,” he stated. “The Esports ecosystem now includes not only players, but also analysts, broadcasters, coaches, event producers, developers, marketers, and content creators.”
With over 70% of Nigeria’s population under 30, Pedro believes the country is perfectly positioned to harness this momentum.
“We are not just ripe for this moment—we are the movement,” he asserted. “This is the future of work.”
He described Esports as a multi-dimensional discipline that demands data analysis, strategic thinking, communication skills, leadership, and performance under pressure. At its core, he noted, Esports represents digital literacy at full throttle—precisely the kind of skill set the 21st-century economy demands.
“At a time when unemployment is rising and youth potential is either exported or wasted, we hold in our hands an industry that can educate, employ, and empower—without relying on a single drop of oil.”
“This demonstration is more than just a showcase—it is a validation,” he said. “Validation that a controller can be a tool for excellence. That gaming is not a phase, but a profession. That the next generation of Nigerian exports will include not just footballers, but also gamers, developers, and digital entrepreneurs.”
He concluded with a call to action:“We are ready for the Esports World Cup. We are coming for the Esports Olympics. More importantly, we are ready to lead Africa into a new era of digital competitiveness.
This is our call to the media, the nation, our journalists, storytellers, and cultural gatekeepers—we need you. Not just to cover this, but to help the nation understand it. Because how you report this moment will shape how millions of parents and young people view the future.”
Sports
A Triumphant Close to the 22nd National Sports Festival
…As organisers promise another spectacle at closing ceremony on Thursday
Joel Ajayi
After 11 days of a true showcase of sporting competition in multiple Sports by some of the country’s top and even promising athletes, the curtain will finally be drawn on what many have described as one of the best ever organised National Sports festivals, when the closing ceremony is held on Thursday at the MKO Sports Arena in Abeokuta.
Whilst the quality of the Games’ opening ceremony is still getting tongues wagging, the entire sporting family and beyond is now anxiously looking forward to what the closing ceremony will look like.
The last 11 days have showcased Ogun state as a true Sporting hub with potential to even do more, with the quality of the facilities built for the games and the enthusiasm of the people who made the various venues their second home in the last few days.
A big testament to this was the history-making crowd that attended the male football final between Ogun state and Kwara State, which the host won by 4-1.
The MKO stadium was filled to full capacity while the crowd outside watching from the big screen reminds one of how much Sports is truly the soul of our togetherness as a country.
From the Alake Sports centre in Ijeja and the Baptist boys high school, to the Obafemi Awolowo square and the Remo stadium both in Ikenne, to the NYSC orientation camp in Shagamu, and the Ilisan town hall in Ilisan, the festival never lacked spectatorship throughout the games.
The Games actually lived up to the pre-tournament hype as both the National Sports Commission, NSC and the Ogun state Government pulled out every administrative capacity to ensure both athletes, officials and the media have an unforgettable experience.
The Gateway Games 2024 had been full of exciting drama and intrigues amongst the states and athletes which led to different new records being set and some old records being shattered.
The festival has also produced for the country some new exciting young talents especially with the shocking performance of the 38th state, the Invited Junior Athletes ( IJA), where they ended up winning some surprised medals to justify the Commission’s establishment of the initiative.
As the Closing ceremony holds on Thursday, the leadership of the National Sports commission, NSC, expresses its profound gratitude to the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Ogun State Government for making sure millions of Nigerian youths see a renewed brighter future in the country through the National Sports Festival.
The NSC Chairman Mallam Shehu Dilko said ” our overwhelming gratitude goes to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,GCFR, for his personal commitment to the development of Nigerian Sports by giving us every support financially and otherwise for the success of this festival”.
” And the Ogun state Governor, Dapo Abiodun also deserves a huge praise for the feat we all recorded with these games. I can’t thank him enough and posterity will surely remember him for good “.
The NSC Director General who is also the Chairman of the Main organising committee of the games, Hon Bukola Olopade also extended his gratitude to all the technocrats behind the scene that are responsible for the successful organisation of the games.
” From all the members of the Main organising committee to the various sub committees, to members of the local organising committees and all our technical officials in the various sports to the media and our athletes, every success that everyone is talking about concerning these Games belongs to you all”.
” Yes it was not a perfect festival because we acknowledged we had also some challenges but let me assure everyone that some of the challenges are already being worked upon ahead of the next Games holding in Enugu state next year”, he concluded.
The Closing ceremony is expected to bring together top Government functionaries to captain of industries while there will also be the rich cultural display of the state as Ogun state will officially pass the barton of hosting to Enugu state for the 23rd edition of the Games come September 2026.
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