Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, on Thursday met with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, where he briefed him on the Commission’s 2025 performance and plans for 2026.

Speaking to State House correspondents after the meeting, Dikko described the visit as routine, noting that the commission reports directly to the President.

“It’s just a normal visit. The Sports Commission reports to Mr. President, so we came to brief him on what we have done last year and the stage of execution of the approvals he has given us, as well as our plans for 2026,” he said.

He added that the President expressed satisfaction with the commission’s progress and reaffirmed his support for the administration’s vision of building a sports economy in Nigeria.

“Mr. President is very happy and excited with the progress, and he is still giving the unwavering support and push that we need to deliver on the mandate to create a sports economy in Nigeria,” Dikko stated.

Highlighting achievements in 2025, Dikko said Nigeria won nearly 375 medals across various competitions and that sports contributed about 1.2 per cent to the country’s Gross Domestic Product in the third quarter of 2025.

He also disclosed that about ₦50 billion in private sector funding was attracted into the sports sector within the year, while nearly 140,000 jobs were created across the sporting ecosystem through direct, indirect and induced employment.

“Sports is no longer being measured only by medals. It is being measured by what it contributes to the GDP and how many jobs it creates,” he said.

Dikko noted that the commission is implementing the “Renewed Hope Initiative for Nigeria’s Sports Economy,” a framework designed to ensure that Nigeria wins both on the field and economically.

He stressed the need to fast-track the development of sports infrastructure nationwide, covering both elite and grassroots sports.

On grassroots sports, Dikko said unprecedented progress had been made, citing the introduction of Invited Junior Athletes as the “38th state” during the last National Sports Festival to discover and nurture young talents.

He also referenced Nigeria’s strong outings at the African School Games in Algeria and the African Youth Games in Angola, as well as the creation of the Intermediate Games for athletes aged under-18 and under-20.

According to him, the NSC is collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Education to revive school sports competitions, including principal’s cup tournaments, with budgetary provisions already captured for 2026.

“We have given a definitive directive to all sporting federations: if you are not showing us what you are doing at the grassroots and domestic level, we cannot support you to go for international competitions,” he said.

Dikko revealed that President Tinubu had approved the constitution of the board of the Nigeria Anti-Doping Agency, following the signing of the anti-doping bill last year after nearly 20 years of delay.

He explained that the move was necessary to meet conditions set by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

“One of the conditions WADA wanted to see achieved was the constitution of the board. Mr. President has now approved that. Nigeria has been declared a clean country in sports, so we are on the right track,” he said.

On football matters, Dikko addressed the pending Africa Cup of Nations verdict currently before FIFA.

He disclosed that the Nigeria Football Federation had submitted a formal complaint to FIFA over alleged breaches of rules and regulations in the World Cup qualification process.

“The relevant bodies in FIFA are dealing with it. We are confident we have a good case, but we have already put the World Cup behind us. Whatever happens, it is what it is,” he said.

Dikko clarified that independent committees within FIFA would determine the outcome based on established regulations.

He added that the matter is being handled by FIFA’s independent disciplinary and ethics committees rather than FIFA’s executive committee itself.

He explained that Nigeria and the Nigeria Football Federation had documented several breaches against FIFA rules and regulations, even before the playoff matches and formally submitted the complaints to the world football governing body.

“We found out there are some breaches here and there, which we believe, even before we played the playoffs, those breaches, we noticed them, and we already documented them.

“So ourselves and the NFF submitted to FIFA what we felt were the breaches against the rules and regulations, which are also part of sports.

“It’s not being sore losers, it’s just what it is,” the NSC boss said.

He cited recent directives by the President to ensure adequate budgetary allocation and timely release of funds for sports.

“Sports is time-sensitive. If funds are not released according to schedule, it becomes a problem. Mr. President has directed that once the budget is passed and signed, funds meant for sports should be released immediately so that we can plan and progress effectively,” Dikko added.

The NSC chairman said he also presented a jersey to the President as a token of appreciation for his support.

“What the President has been doing for sports has never been like this before. Even at our recent budget defence, members of the National Assembly acknowledged his unprecedented support,” he said. (The PUNCH)