The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the National Institute for Sports (NIS), Comrade Philip Shaibu, has said grassroots sports development remains a major priority of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, describing it as critical to building a sustainable sports industry, discovering emerging talents and strengthening Nigeria’s competitiveness at international competitions.

Shaibu stated this in a statement issued by Ben Ogbemudia, Special Adviser on Media to the NIS Director-General and Chief Executive Officer, noting that the President’s commitment to developing sports from the grassroots informed the establishment of the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Grassroots Sports Development.

According to him, the office was established to strengthen sports departments across the country, improve talent identification and create a more coordinated approach to discovering and nurturing young athletes, blueprint reports.

The NIS boss maintained that Nigeria’s long-term success in sports would depend largely on the ability to establish a functional grassroots development structure capable of identifying promising athletes early and providing them with the necessary training, facilities and professional guidance.

Grassroots development key to Nigeria’s sporting future

Shaibu explained that investing in grassroots sports would provide a solid foundation for the country’s sporting future, noting that talented young Nigerians needed to be identified and developed through structured programmes rather than relying solely on individual efforts or occasional competitions.

He said a deliberate approach to grassroots development would create a steady pipeline of athletes capable of progressing from community-level competitions to national teams and eventually representing Nigeria at continental and international sporting events.

According to him, developing talents from an early age would also help address some of the challenges associated with preparing athletes for elite competitions, including inadequate foundational training, limited access to qualified coaches and insufficient opportunities for young people to progress through established sporting structures.

He stressed that sports development should not begin only when athletes are approaching major competitions, but must involve sustained investment in talent discovery, coaching, facilities and capacity building at the community and institutional levels.

The NIS director-general noted that schools, local sports associations and other grassroots institutions could play important roles in identifying promising athletes, provided they were supported with the right technical expertise and development opportunities.

He maintained that a well-organised grassroots system would enable Nigeria to identify talents across different parts of the country, rather than concentrating opportunities in a few urban centres or established sporting institutions.

Stronger sports departments needed across states

The NIS boss also highlighted the importance of strengthening sports departments across the country as part of efforts to achieve sustainable grassroots development.

He explained that the establishment of the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Grassroots Sports Development was intended to support a more coordinated approach to sports administration and talent discovery.

Such coordination, he indicated, would help improve the relationship between grassroots sports structures and the wider national sports development system.

For Nigeria to build a reliable talent pipeline, sports development activities at the state and local government levels must be connected to national programmes that provide opportunities for promising athletes to advance.

The absence of effective structures for identifying and nurturing young athletes can limit the country’s ability to maximise its sporting potential, particularly in communities where talented individuals may not have access to organised competitions or professional coaching.

Shaibu’s position places emphasis on the need for institutional support to ensure that grassroots sports development goes beyond occasional tournaments and becomes a sustained process involving training, evaluation and talent progression.

Nigeria can export coaches, referees, Shaibu says

Beyond developing athletes, Shaibu identified the training and certification of sports professionals as another area with significant potential for Nigeria.

He said the country possessed the human resources and capacity to produce coaches and referees who could compete favourably with their counterparts in other parts of the world.

He, however, emphasised the importance of structured training, professional certification and continuous capacity development in achieving that objective.

According to him, programmes provided by the National Institute for Sports could help equip Nigerian sports personnel with the technical knowledge and professional qualifications required to operate at international standards.

He noted that the development of qualified coaches and referees would not only improve the quality of sports administration and competition in Nigeria but also create opportunities for Nigerian professionals to secure engagements beyond the country’s borders.

Shaibu’s position underscores the importance of looking beyond athletes in the country’s sports development agenda, particularly as coaching, officiating and other technical areas remain essential components of a competitive sports ecosystem.

Qualified coaches are particularly important in grassroots development because they provide young athletes with the technical foundations, discipline and understanding required to progress in their chosen sports.

Similarly, properly trained referees and other technical officials are necessary for maintaining professional standards, ensuring fair competition and improving the credibility of sporting events.

The NIS chief executive therefore sees professional training and certification as important instruments for strengthening Nigeria’s sports industry and expanding the international opportunities available to its personnel.

Sports development as a tool for job creation

Shaibu also linked grassroots sports development to the Federal Government’s broader objective of creating employment opportunities for young Nigerians.

He maintained that a properly structured sports sector could provide opportunities beyond professional athletic careers, particularly in coaching, officiating, sports administration, event management and other related areas.

According to him, taking sports development to the grassroots would help create an environment in which young people could identify and develop their abilities while gaining access to opportunities within the wider sports industry.

The employment potential of sports extends beyond athletes who represent their states or country at competitions. It also includes trainers, fitness instructors, referees, sports administrators, facility managers and other professionals whose services are required to sustain sporting activities.

For a country with a large youth population such as Nigeria, the development of these opportunities could provide an additional avenue for skills acquisition, professional advancement and economic participation.

However, achieving this would require sustained investment in training institutions, sporting facilities and the professional development of people working across the sector.

NIS reaffirms commitment to Tinubu’s sports agenda

The NIS director-general reaffirmed the institute’s commitment to aligning its policies and programmes with the sports development vision of the Tinubu administration.

He said taking sports to the grassroots remained central to achieving the Federal Government’s objectives of developing the sector, discovering talents and creating employment opportunities for young Nigerians.

Shaibu added that the institute would continue to support initiatives aimed at strengthening the country’s sports development framework and building the capacity of personnel required to drive the sector.

The institute’s focus on grassroots development also highlights the need for stronger collaboration among government institutions, sports associations, schools and communities to ensure that promising talents are identified and given opportunities to develop.

For Nigeria to maximise its sporting potential, sustained attention to talent discovery, professional training, institutional support and access to sporting facilities will be essential.

Shaibu said the NIS remained committed to playing its role in advancing the President’s vision and ensuring that grassroots sports development becomes a central component of the country’s sporting progress.