The newly appointed Director-General of the National Institute for Sports, Comrade Philip Shaibu, has announced plans for a comprehensive overhaul of the institute as part of efforts to reposition Nigeria’s sports development system.
Shaibu, who assumed office on Monday, said the mandate given to him by President Bola Tinubu was to carry out major reforms in line with the administration’s ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda.
“What is critical is that we need a total overhaul of the institute. The mandate given to me is to come here and carry out a major reform with the ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda of Mr President. I think this structure needs renewed hope,” the former Edo State deputy governor stated during an inspection of the NIS facilities.
The new DG expressed shock at the level of decay in some parts of the institute, which was established in 1974 to improve Nigeria’s performance in international sporting competitions.
“The NIS is the engine room of Nigeria sports. If the NIS is sleeping, Nigeria sports is sleeping.
That is why our sports have not been moving forward,” Shaibu said.
He promised to end the culture of celebrating mediocre performances at international competitions, particularly the Olympics.
“Nigeria cannot be a giant of Africa in terms of size and economy and each time we go to international competitions, we’re not on the medals table. Each time we go to the Olympics, the silver medal becomes like gold for us, and so, it’s obvious that we need a lot of work to be done,” he said.
Shaibu, who officially took over from Professor Olawale Moronkola, represented by Omonode Christyne, Head of Department of Coaching and Training, expressed confidence that a reformed NIS would restore Nigeria’s winning ways in international competitions.
“The quality of your coaches and managers will determine what you can do at the Olympics. The mandate given to me is total reform of the NIS, and I am grateful to President Bola Tinubu for his great vision for Nigeria sports,” he stated.
Shaibu emphasised the economic potential of sports, describing it as a goldmine that could create massive employment opportunities for Nigerian youths.
“We have to rebrand the NIS to attract stakeholders. Sports is a goldmine. It is more than the oil we have in Nigeria. During my tenure as Deputy Governor in Edo State, I came to realise that football, handball and a few sports can take more than 50 million of our youths from the labour market. We need to do something fast,” Shaibu said.
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