Background

Despite the excellent performance of individual Nigerians in the international sporting arena, Nigeria’s reputation in global sports is yet to be set on a firm, sustainable footing. The National Sports Festival (NSF) that was launched in 1973 to be the biggest sporting event in Nigeria as well as a platform for talent identification, has largely failed to perform either of these roles. It has lost its glamour and, therefore, sponsorship attraction; while failing to include Nigeria’s athletes living in foreign countries in its competitions.

Past Reform and Achievements

To reposition Nigerian sports sector, The National Sports Commission (NSC) developed a Code of Governance and Election Guidelines for National Sports Federations, towards entrenching the principles of transparency, efficiency and accountability in sports administration in Nigeria. The government created through the NSC the Nigeria High Performance Sports Directorate (HPSD), to develop and manage an elite athlete programme for Nigeria’s participation in international competitions; and adopted a funding paradigm that focused on sporting activities instead of funding sporting federations.

The National Sports Festival has been restructured into an open festival, in which Nigerian athletes from across the world can now participate. A National Youth U-17 Games was established for early discovery of budding sporting talents. The National Academicals Sports Committee (NASCOM) was setup as the flagship vehicle of the NSC for grassroots sports development, and it has organized notable sports events. The government now focuses on just the Lagos and Abuja national stadiums, as it has transferred ownership of the ones in Bauchi, Kaduna, and Ibadan, to their respective state governments.

Successes of the sports reforms have included gold and silver medals at the 2012 World Chess Olympiad; overall victory at the 2012 Senior Africa Weightlifting Championships; first position at the 2012 Senior African Athletics Championship; six gold medals, five silvers and one bronze medal at the London 2012 Paralympic Games; the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations championship; 2013. FIFA Under 17 World Cup championship; and the African junior Athletics Championship in 2013

Challenges and Next Steps

The sports ministry and the education institutions should collaborate effectively, to identify talents. Efforts should be stepped up to pass the NSC Bill. Sport facilities should be better managed.