Sports
Top Industry Experts Confirmed for NPFL–Afrinvest Marketing Workshop for Clubs
An A-list of resource persons have been lined up for the pre-season workshop for clubs in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) scheduled to take place in Enugu on Wednesday, July 29, 2026.
The workshop sponsored by Afrinvest, a leading financial and investment company, will provide focused professional modules for club officers in marketing, investments, brand merchandising and media.All 20 clubs including the newly-promoted sides are expected to participate in the pre-season programme.
Davidson Owumi, the Chief Operating Officer of the NPFL, said the workshop is consistent with the league’s drive to improve commercial viability of the clubs and creating additional income streams.
“While we recognise that majority of our clubs are dependent on their respective states government funding, we also consider it beneficial to expand their revenue base.
“The objectives include making our clubs attractive to private sector investment through sponsorship which will have a positive spin-off impact on the NPFL as a brand”, explained Owumi and concluded by saying that improved club management is the core attraction for fans and sponsors.
Among resource persons expected to speak at the seminar are Dr Iorwase Derek Kaka’an, George Isitua Onukwu, Mitchell Obi, Nelson Ine and Harry Iwuala.Kaka’an is a sports management scholar, researcher, lecturer, and football development practitioner with extensive experience in sports administration, marketing, sponsorship, and policy development.
He currently serves as a lecturer with the Department of Human Kinetics and Health Education, Faculty of Education, Reverend Father Moses Orshio Adasu University, Makurdi in Benue State.
Onukwu is the CEO at TBWA\Concept, where he is driving operational excellence to achieve their new vision of leading the ‘Beyond the Brief’ strategy to shift the agency towards tech integration, product development, and owned intellectual property (IP).Obi is currently the Executive Vice Chairman of Mastersports International Limited, a prominent sports marketing and communication firm based in Nigeria.
He combines sports marketing campaigns, punditry and media production for the company and is immediate past president of the African chapter of the International Sports Press Association.
Ine of GTI Assets Management is an experienced investment banking professional and the brain behind the The Nigeria Football Fund (TNFF), an open-ended, SEC-registered unit trust and mutual fund launched to raise ₦5 billion through 5 billion units at ₦1.00 each. It targets transforming Nigerian football into a profitable commercial asset.Iwuala currently serves as the Head, NPFL Media/Communications.
He works as the backbone in the league’s media strategy and public relations.He also has extensive experience of having worked in the main stream media, corporate communications at Globacom before transitioning into football administration.
The 2026/27 NPFL season will kick off on August 28.
Sports
NSC Disburses Another ₦300m Training Grants to 31 Elite Athletes Ahead of 2028 Olympic Games
The National Sports Commission (NSC) has disbursed approximately ₦300 million in quarterly training grants to more than 31 Nigerian elite athletes, providing early boost to the country’s preparations for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
The latest payment marks another milestone in the Commission’s efforts to strengthen athletes’ welfare and ensure sustained preparations for major international competitions under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The latest disbursement is the fifth since the introduction of the quarterly training grants policy in 2025 through the NSC’s Elite and Podium Board, and the third payment made in 2026.
With the latest payment, the Commission has now disbursed more than ₦1 billion in training grants to Nigerian elite athletes over the past two years.
The initiative provides quarterly grants of $10,000, $5,000 and $3,000 to athletes, depending on their performance and eligibility under the scientific performance indicators established by the Elite and Podium Board.
The policy has been widely welcomed by some of the country’s leading athletes, who have described it as a game changer that has significantly improved their preparations for international competitions by providing consistent financial support for their training needs.
Director General of the NSC, Hon. Bukola Olopade, said the initiative reflected the Commission’s commitment to building a sustainable system for sporting success through deliberate investment in athletes.
“There are no accidental successes in sports. This is why the Commission has prioritised the welfare and wellbeing of our athletes as a critical part of our strategy for scientific podium success,” Hon, Olopade said.
He said the training grants were among the key mandates given to the Commission’s leadership by President Tinubu to ensure that Nigerian athletes receive the financial support needed to compete effectively at the highest level.
“I am particularly glad that we have been able to institute this athletes’ training grants policy because it is one of the core mandates Mr President gave to Mallam Shehu Dikko and me, to ensure that we put money in the pockets of Nigerian athletes and prepare them adequately for international competitions like the Olympics.”
“We can only get the best out of our athletes when we take care of them properly. By doing so, they will wear the Green and White of our country with pride and dignity. This is why Mr President has continued to support every policy we have introduced to revamp the sports sector,” he said.
Hon. Olopade added that sustained financial support would enable athletes to concentrate on their training without the distractions of financial uncertainty.
“Our athletes need this money to stay focused on their training so they are not distracted in their preparations for major competitions. And we must not forget that when we take care of our athletes, they will take care of the country with medals,” he added.
The impact of the training grants has continued to reflect in Nigeria’s recent performances at international competitions, including the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where the country emerged as Africa’s leading nation.
The performances of athletes such as Samuel Ogazi and Nathaniel Ezekiel, who broke world records, further highlighted the benefits of sustained investment in elite sports development.
Team Nigeria’s impressive outing at the 2025 Solidarity Games in Saudi Arabia also underscored the importance of consistent support for athletes as the country intensifies preparations for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
The NSC said the training grants remain a central component of its strategy to strengthen Nigeria’s elite sports system, improve international competitiveness and deliver sustained podium success at major global competitions.
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