Today marks precisely one year since the Federal Ministry of Sports Development was disbanded and the National Sports Commission (NSC) was re-established by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The Presidency promptly chose Malam Shehu Dikko to chair the Commission, which the government claimed was done to revitalize Nigeria’s sports sector and enhance its performance in international tournaments.
The decision, which was made and put into effect during the then-Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja, was widely regarded as a major overhaul of the country’s sports administration by the President.
The Empire Day competition marked the beginning of the National Sports Commission’s lengthy history, which ended in 2015 when the late former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration dismantled it.
Many viewed its reinstatement as beneficial to sports since they expected the commission to drastically change the development and administration of sports in Nigeria.
Despite lacking substantial training and experience in sports management, Dikko’s selection was widely praised because of his broad background, involvement, and experience in the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
On December 26, 2014, and April 4, 2019, he served as the League Management Company’s chairman twice.
Dikko, who had intended to seek the NFF presidency in 2022, decided against it for an undisclosed reason, thus allowing Ibrahim Gusau to take over.
I was told that President Tinubu put Malam Shehu Dikko in charge of the NSC with the very specific goal of bringing sports back to the country.
Because the goal of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government was to create a viable sports economy in Nigeria.
According to my research, the phrase “sports economy” encompasses all economic activity related to sports, including the production, consumption, and distribution of goods, services, and events related to sports as well as the professional and amateur sports sectors.
And in order to comprehend market dynamics, competitiveness, and resource allocation, it employs microeconomic analysis to examine the sports sector, taking into account elements like labor (players, coaches), capital (stadiums, equipment), and consumer behavior (fans).
Employment, local economies, and even the national GDP are all impacted by the sports economy, which is a major national and international industry.
My research indicates that the primary components of the sports economy are as follows: Industry Structure, Economic Drivers, Productivity and Innovation, Market Characteristics, Economic Impact and Global Reach: With ramifications for both international relations and tourism, the sports industry has grown to be a worldwide phenomenon connected by networks and media.
As can be seen from the above, the Sports Economy includes all the indicators that will totally transform and expand our emerging sports.
And if one examines the aforementioned indicators or important components of the sports economy, one will begin to discover its expression in all parts of modern sports.
To most of us, setting up a stakeholders’ meeting to discuss where we are, where we want to go, and how we are getting there is the first organizational step I anticipate Malam Dikko doing in order to accomplish that.
At the end of the stakeholders brainstorming exercise, a Strategic Plan of Action must have been packaged and the Presidency is to be copied for readiness of implementation.
I would have preferred that Malam Shehu Dikko begin in this manner, with a Conference Planning Committee devising the means to accomplish everything that has been drafted for complete implementation.
Additionally, Nigerian sports technocrats from the governmental and corporate sectors, as well as the media, should be on the planning committee. Keep in mind that the media is essential due to their vital role in the growth of Nigerian sports.
After taking this step, I have no doubt that the path to reviving our sports will be feasible and viable.
Unfortunately, though, Malam Shehu Dikko’s office was constantly occupied by the group of imposters who kept flooding in to offer congratulations.
We were shocked to find that Malam Dikko’s Abuja office was constantly crowded with automobiles from guests, which most of us view as a distraction.
We also believe that this was a major diversion that kept Dikko from examining the powerful individuals that run almost all sports federations, causing our sport to be sinking into unrecoverable waters year after year.
To me, Malam Dikko ought to be aware that President Bola Ahmad Tinubu nominated him to lead the NSC because he was fed up with the poor performance the nation was receiving from all of the international sporting events in which it competed.
The primary concern now is whether Dikko’s appointment as the head of the National Sports Commission conforms with President Tinubu’s directive.
Since Malam Dikko was appointed Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC) in October 2024, there have been incredibly high expectations for the development of the Nigerian sports industry.
The majority of us desired a complete reorganization of our sports industry, ensuring that the proper individuals are assigned to our numerous sporting activities and that only good actions are taken. Only until the proper actions are taken, as they are elsewhere, will our sports be able to grow.
Furthermore, because of inadequate and overbearing leadership, our football is in ruins. As a result, former Sports Minister Senator John Owan Enoh was forced to strongly advocate for comprehensive reforms in the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), with a focus on accountability, inclusivity, governance, and long-term growth.
Chief Onu emphasized that the current NFF constitution has often led to litigation, governance problems, and low stakeholder participation,
He aimed to guarantee proportional representation and establish legitimacy in football administration by broadening the NFF Congress to include more stakeholders.
To him, it is the only way ahead because it would minimize conflicts in the NFF and improve decision-making procedures.
The former minister also emphasized the necessity of more robust governance and monitoring, and he maintained that federations must embrace performance-driven approaches, operate transparently, and link their activities with national objectives.
In order to make sure that federations, like the NFF, serve the national interest rather than specific internal agendas, he stated that his ministry would continue to fulfil its supervisory and consultative function.
Similarly, to prevent the kind of failures Nigeria has seen in significant competitions, he also urged a closer examination of the NFF’s leadership election process, its planning, and the implementation of accountability.
And for football players to grow properly at home and for the local game to draw sponsors and spectators, the former minister also emphasized the necessity of professionalizing Nigerian leagues.
But sadly, the NFF ignored the minister’s orders to change its laws within a year in order to accommodate more serious and committed members.
Malam Dikko chose to keep quiet and behave as though there was nothing wrong with their actions, even though I’m sure he was well aware of the reality of Chief Onu’s assessment.
Similar to this, structural shortcomings in infrastructure, athlete care, technical capacity, grassroots development, and governance are to blame for Nigeria’s dismal showing at the Olympics and other major international games.
The collapse of school sports and the lack of a national schedule to identify and develop young athletes have resulted in a limited talent pipeline at the grassroots level.
Additionally, coaches lack the ongoing professional development and technical training required to generate elite athletes.
Athletes lack the high-performance settings needed to compete internationally due to inadequate, badly maintained facilities that lack contemporary digital and scientific instruments.
That is why reforms in sponsorship, marketing, partnerships, infrastructure, capacity building, athlete welfare, competitions, and legal frameworks were anticipated by stakeholders.
But these expectations by stakeholders during Malam Dikko’s first year in office, a number of significant shortcomings and gaps became apparent.
First, the highly expected construction of six zonal sports centers with modern digital amenities has not yet taken place in the field of infrastructure and facilities.
There is no proof that new zonal centers are being built or that old ones are being brought up to international standards, except for financial allotments and verbal promises.
Similarly, Malam Dikko’s purported pledge to build 100 mini-stadiums for grassroots sports development is still mainly on paper, with no project completion or start date evident in any of the states.
Second, in terms of athlete development and welfare, there is no organized scholarship program for top athletes, no methodical hiring or engagement of highly skilled coaches and sports experts, and scant indications of capacity-building initiatives to improve the technical caliber of Nigerian sports.
Adhoc financial prizes for winning football players seem to have been the exclusive focus instead, which is symbolic but falls short of a long-term athlete support system.
Many athletes now lack the long-term support needed for development, visibility, and global competition as a result of this failure.
Third, the Nigerian sports merchandising, branding, and marketing have not advanced much in terms of sports business and commercial growth.
Even while some sponsorship talks and endorsements have been started, their reach is still limited, and they do not yet represent a strong sports economy.
Practically speaking, there is absolutely no indication of the anticipated bilateral alliances, sports marketing plans, and investment inflows into federations and grassroots initiatives.
Fourth, when it comes to planning and staging contests, Dikko’s NSC has fallen short. There is little evidence of the systematic organization of zonal or national contests across numerous sports in the last year, despite the National Sports Festival being planned for 2026.
Under the Commission’s direction, Nigeria has also not advanced very far in terms of hosting or bidding for important continental and international tournaments.
The foundation of talent identification should be grassroots competitions, but they haven’t been regularly organized at the national level.
Fifth, the Nigeria Sports Industry Act’s structural changes and the adoption of governance frameworks—such as properly recognizing sports structures at the local government level—have not been completed.
The objective of grassroots growth under Dikko’s leadership is undermined by the third tier of the government’s continued significant exclusion from the mainstream framework of sports administration.
Last but not least, while the National Anti-Doping Bill’s passage into law represents a significant turning point, the creation of a fully functional National Doping Center, complete with a board and administration, has not yet materialized.
Nigeria runs the danger of falling behind in terms of adhering to international anti-doping regulations if it doesn’t apply it.
In summary, rather than the profound, systemic changes that were expected, Malam Shehu Dikko’s first year as NSC Chairman has been characterized more by ceremonial appearances and financial prizes to football players.
Lack of new zonal facilities, lack of athlete development programs and scholarships, poor merchandising and marketing advancements, inadequate national and grassroots competition organization, limited international hosting, non-recognition of local government structures, and sluggish Sports Industry Act implementation are some of the Malam Dikko’s failures and deficiencies.
It is unclear whether Nigerian sports can undergo the long-awaited change under Malam Dikko’s direction given these unmet promises, which highlight a widening gap between expectations and execution.
However, I anticipate that Dikko will create a high-performance, sustainable ecosystem based on six essential pillars in order to address these shortcomings.
Malam Shehu Dikko must, first and foremost, make every effort to rectify the injustice that State FA chairmen inflicted on other football stakeholders in the NFF’s composition by guaranteeing that its electoral congress is expanded to include an equitable number of electorates.
Second, in order to guarantee a steady flow of young athletes into the system, school and grassroots sports need to be revived through talent identification camps, state-level festivals, and annual national calendars across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Thirdly, by establishing a national coach certification framework, employing international technical directors in important sports more quickly, and offering exchange programs and scholarships to up-skill local coaches, coaching and technical capability should be increased.
Fourth, Malam Dikko ought to set up six zonal high-performance centers that are furnished with state-of-the-art equipment, recuperation centers, and sports science labs.
These centers should be connected to a central National Sports Science Unit that keeps track of injuries, profiles athletes, and provides nutritional and psychological assistance.
Fifth, Nigeria needs to create yearly international competition schedules for every sport. This would guarantee that athletes compete in regional and worldwide competitions as part of a planned exposure and preparation process, as well as providing players with invaluable experience by hosting specific international tournaments at home.
Sixth, NSC’s Dikko should make every attempt to bring back to life the multipurpose national sports stadium, which is currently Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja.
In order to ensure compliance with international standards, the Sports Industry Act and anti-doping framework must also be fully implemented, with the National Doping Center becoming fully operational.
To do this, responsibilities should be clearly divided: the federal government and NSC will drive policy and funding, federations will handle day-to-day athlete development, state and local governments will revive grassroots programs, and the private sector and universities will provide sponsorships, scholarships, and research partnerships.
Funding must be predictable, with at least half of the high-performance budget going toward athlete preparation, 20–30% going toward facilities, and the remaining portion going toward coach education, governance, and anti-doping.
Clearly defined performance indicators should be monitored, such as the number of athletes on scholarships, certified coaches, medals at continental and international events, and the number of medals at continental and international events.
In the short term, Malam Shehu Dikko should quickly establish the Olympic Performance Fund, publish transparent selection frameworks, begin intensive coach training, and fund scholarships for the top 100 medal prospects.
Within a year, at least two zonal high-performance centres should be upgraded, athletes sent to international camps, and multidisciplinary support teams deployed.
In about a three-year period, all zonal hubs should be completed, sports science fully integrated, and Nigeria should aim to host regional competitions while steadily improving world rankings and finalist numbers.
Last but not least, fixing Nigeria’s Olympic shortcomings and our exclusion from the upcoming World Cup requires more than just increased funding and political will; it also requires consistent execution, partnerships with the private sector, and a shift in culture that puts long-term planning ahead of immediate gains.
With a clear strategy, transparent government, and targeted investments in coaching, talent, facilities, and welfare, Nigeria can overcome its sporting setbacks and return to winning medals and matches on the global stage.
I hope that the second year of Malam Shehu Dikko’s administration marks a sea change in Nigerian sports. Ameen.
