Sports
Sports Minister Wants Funding Constraints Addressed Ahead of 2022 Sporting Events
…Tasks NFF, LMC On Adherence to Club Licensing Regulations
The Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports Development Sunday Dare says the country must be ready to address and overcome funding constraints as she prepares to organize and participate in several domestic and international competitions in 2022.
Speaking at the 2022 Budget Defence session with the House of Representatives Committee on Sports Development in Abuja on Monday, Dare highlighted some of the challenges the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development is facing in prosecuting most of its sporting activities.
His words: “Without mincing words, participation in national, continental and International competitions which have brought much glory and goodwill to the country is capital intensive. The reality is that the Ministry has been greatly challenged in prosecuting these activities owing to its very slim overhead.
“The financial requirements of our forty two national sports federations as submitted by them cannot be completely accommodated within the overhead budget envelope of the Ministry.
“The activities of these federations are instrumental to our participation in International sporting events. These huge financial requirements further underscore the need to accord the Ministry enhanced funding,” Dare pleaded.
Quizzed by a lawmaker about the plans of the Ministry to help revive domestic football and the Nigeria Professional Football League(NPFL), Dare said it would require collective action from every stakeholder to turn things around for the better.
“We all have to get involved and even get some legislation to back us up before we can begin to see changes,” he opened up, “The structure of our clubs needs to change if we want to see fans fill up the stands at our stadia to watch our domestic games. Most of our clubs are government owned and professionalism is not a priority.
“There are little or no facilities, the welfare package for players in most clubs is not encouraging, club licensing regulations are not enforced. All these things have kept our domestic football in the doldrums.
“From 2022, we will ensure that the Nigeria Football Federation(NFF)who have oversight responsibilities over the League Management Company(LMC)are able to ensure stricter adherence to the club licensing regulations, even if we will end up having only six clubs meeting the standard, then have the games shown on television and on the NPFL.TV online platform so Nigerians can keep tabs with happenings around the clubs and games,” the Minister stated.
The chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Sports Development, Honourable Olumide Osoba had earlier applauded the Sports Minister and his team for initiating programmes that have impacted Nigerian sports positively in the last two years.
Sports
Tinubu, Fashola, Governors, UNESCO, Sports Leaders to Headline National Grassroots Sports Summit
Joel Ajayi
The stage is being set for a landmark gathering at the Presidential Villa as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former Lagos State Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, and leading figures from government, sports administration and international development feature in the proposed opening-day programme of the National Grassroots Sports Development Summit 2026.
In a statement signed by Thursday by the Chairperson Media Sub-com National Grassroot Sports Summit Dr. (Mrs.) Kehinde Ajayi stated that, the two-day Summit, scheduled for November 18–19, 2026, at the Banquet Hall, State House, Presidential Villa, Abuja, is being organized by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Grassroots Sports Development, Hon. Adeyinka Anthony Adeboye.
With the theme “Creating a New Pathway for Sustainable Grassroots Sports Development,” the gathering seeks to produce practical solutions to Nigeria’s longstanding challenges in talent discovery, infrastructure, funding, coaching and athlete development.
The opening day, Wednesday, November 18, promises high-level engagement, with President Tinubu listed as Special Guest of Honour, while Fashola is scheduled to deliver a keynote address.
Also featuring in the Day One programme is Dr. Tayo Aduloju, Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), whose organization has been engaged as technical partner to help translate discussions into a workable development roadmap.
Other personalities and institutions on the opening-day lineup include the Chairman and Director-General of the National Sports Commission, Mallam Shehu Dikko and Hon. Bukola Olopade; the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum; the President of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON); and the Head of Office and UNESCO Representative to Nigeria.
Also listed are Barrister Enitan Oshodi, President of the African Table Tennis Federation; the President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee; and Dr. Musa Nakorji of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Research Department.
The involvement of these personalities reflects the Summit’s emphasis on connecting sports development with economic planning, education, grassroots governance, international cooperation and private-sector investment.
Adeboye described the gathering as an opportunity to move Nigerian sports beyond isolated achievements towards a coordinated national development system.
“The real question is not whether Nigeria has sporting talent.
We know we have talent in abundance. The question is how we build a system that discovers, nurtures and supports that talent consistently, from our communities and schools to the international stage,” he said.
He stressed that the participation of state governments, local councils, development institutions and sports administrators would be critical to producing lasting outcomes.
The Summit will continue on Thursday, November 19, with further stakeholder engagements aimed at developing actionable recommendations for sustainable grassroots sports development with preparations intensifying, organizers are confident that the gathering will provide a defining platform for strengthening the foundation of Nigerian sports and expanding opportunities for young people nationwide.
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