Demands

Abuja, November 6, 2026 (www.crestnewsonline.ng) Comrade Philip Shaibu, Director-General of the National Institute of Sports (NIS), on Thursday in Abuja called for appropriate scrutiny and a demand for greater accountability from Nigerian sports administrators.

Shaibu, while speaking on the upcoming 2026 National Grassroots Sports Summit in Abuja, noted that Nigerians should hold their sports administrators responsible if President Bola Tinubu was seen not to have delivered on his promise to revamp the sports sector.

“You just have to hold us responsible, not President Tinubu. You need to ask us to be accountable because we are the foot soldiers put in charge of revamping the sector,” he said.

Shaibu stated that he and the trio of Malam Shehu Dikko, Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Hon. Bukola Olopade, the NSC Director-General, and Hon. Adeyinka Adeboye, Tinubu’s Senior Special Assistant on Grassroots Sports Development, have the mandate to deliver on the promise.

“President Tinubu as a great lover of sports has a lot of hopes and expectations from the sports sector, and this is why he has put all of us in charge. To deliver on the mandate.

“And sports has never had it this good in the history of this country, that a President will be so committed to ensuring the sports industry is expanded into a large money-spinner.

“That is why you have all seen how committed the President has been in ensuring good funding and adequate welfare of athletes.

“It is now our duties to ensure things get done for the sector to be better and as desirable as possible. And it is the duty of the media especially and other stakeholders to ensure we do our jobs as expected,” he said.

The NIS DG said this should trickle down to the states and local government areas, whereby all the leaders are held accountable and asked to justify their positions if they could not uplift sports in their respective domain.

“It should go down to the lowest levels, not just at the federal level. We should ask our state governors and local government chairmen what they are doing for sports.

“It will not be right to wait upon the Federal Government or the NSC or NIS or the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and ask what they are doing about sports development.

“No, it should not be so.

“Ask the others too. Ask them what they are doing about the development and welfare of athletes, the provision of facilities in the communities and schools, as well as the organisation of sports competitions.

“President Bola Tinubu is providing all of us, even in the states, with what we need and no one has any reason not to make Nigerians feel the President’s impact on sports in this country,”

CrestNewsOnline.ng reports that the National Grassroots Sports Summit 2026, which has the theme “Creating a new pathway for sustainable grassroots sports development” is scheduled for November 18 and 19 at the Banquet Hall of the State House in Abuja.

It is expected to dwell on talent discovery and development, infrastructure development, sports economy and all-inclusive participation.

The summit will bring together sports administrators, federal, state and local government institutions and their officials, coaches, athletes, sponsors, the media and investors.(www.crestnewsonline.ng)

*Edited by Olawale Lawanson Alabi

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