Sports

Taking NFF from analogue to digital is my target-Dr Chris

Published

4 years ago

September 22, 2022

Joel Ajayi
The Nigeria Football Federation NFF Presidential aspirant in the 30th September 2022 Dr Chris Emeruwa has revealed that target is to take Nigeria football from analogue it’s right now to digital if elected president.
He stated this at the Presidential Debate on Thursday in Abuja organized by Sports Writers Association of Nigeria SWAN he said the Nigeria football has been relegated to the back seat in Africa in all development drives.

The candidate also said, if elected as the NFF president, he would work with experts to train Football Association (FA) secretaries to embrace computerized system of administration.

“If elected the president of NFF, I will change the entire football administration from analogue to computerized system,” he said.

Emeruwa said if elected his administration would come up with a policy to check the involvement of officials of the federation in player management.

He added that he would put in place institutions that would outlive his administration in order to gain the confidence of would-be sponsors.

“There is need to build strong institutions that will outlive every administration of the NFF,” the candidate said.

“Sponsors will always consider the structures before thinking of putting in money into the system,“ he added.

Emeruwa said also that no sponsor would invest in the sport without seeing the programme of the federation.

He further said Nigeria presently has a deficit of certified football coaches as none has been certified for a very long time.

“I will facilitate more coaches programmes so that the country will have more coaches for our football,” Emeruwa said

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Sports

Tinubu, Fashola, Governors, UNESCO, Sports Leaders to Headline National Grassroots Sports Summit

Published

3 hours ago

October 29, 2026

The Gleamer

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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