Two good heads they say are better than one. In Mallam Shehu Dikko, Chairman, National Sports commission (NSC) and Hon. Bukola Olawale Olopade, the Director General of the commission, Nigerian sport, is enjoying a new lease of life. It is a fresh start with renewed vigour and good health for a sector that has struggled to express its full potentials due to poor funding and constant appointment of incompetent administrators to oversee a sector they know little or nothing about.
In October 2024, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu brought smiles to the faces of all sports stakeholders in Nigeria with the appointment of Dikko, a former Chairman of the League Management Company (LMC) to oversee the affairs of the commission. In the same vein, he appointed Olopade, an outstanding technocrat and sports marketer as Director-General of the commission; and to the delight of many, these two personalities have formed a solid partnership that is yielding good dividends for Nigerian sports.
The partnership between Dikko, and Olopade is indeed bringing Nigerian sports back to life. They are giving the sector a fresh start with renewed energy and determination.
Their synergy is yielding great results, and stakeholders are thrilled about the innovations they are introducing, like podium performance and taking youths from grassroots to stardom. The National Sports Festival and U18/U20 African Athletics Championships are testaments to their success.
Sports enthusiasts praised Dikko and Olopade’s appointment, saying it was one of the best decisions President Tinubu made. They appreciated how Dikko and Olopade’s expertise in sports is making a real difference.
The National Sports Commission, under their leadership, is focused on making sports a driver of the economy, creating jobs, and earning foreign exchange. They are also working on restructuring the sports ecosystem in Nigeria.
The National Sports Commission of Nigeria, under the current leadership, has been making waves in the sports arena since 2024. The commission’s achievements are a testament to the dedication and vision of its leaders.
One of the key areas of focus for the commission has been the revamping of sports infrastructure across the country. Since 2024, over 10 new sports complexes have been built, and 20 existing ones have been renovated.
The commission has also made significant strides in talent identification and development. Programmes have been put in place to identify and nurture young talents, with a focus on sports like football, athletics, basketball and school sports.
The current leadership has secured increased funding for sports development, allowing for more resources to be allocated to athletes and sports programmes.
Under the current NSC leadership, the commission’s budget for 2025 fiscal year witnessed an unprecedented increased of 227% of N94billion compared to N29billion in 2024.
Sports stakeholders lauded the Federal Government’s N94bn allocation for sports in the 2025 fiscal year, describing it as a significant improvement from the N29bn budgeted for 2024.
The budget, which is part of the National Sports Commission’s Renewed Hope Initiative for Nigeria’s Sports Economy, has been welcomed by federation heads who believe the increased funding could transform the country’s sporting landscape.
Interim Nigeria Boxing Federation president Azania Omo-Agege, while commending the allocation, urged for direct disbursement of funds to sports federations.
“The problem with sports has been mismanagement of the funds. The only way sports could really thrive in this country is for the commission to give all the sports federations their money directly,” Omo-Agege said.
“They should stop sending their secretaries to the federations where they turn around and collect money behind. Let the federations choose their own secretary. You can send the treasurer where you can monitor the affairs, but they should give all the federations their money directly.”
Lagos State Judo Association chairman Sheriff Hammed emphasized the need for strategic implementation.
“The budget will need to cater to athlete training and welfare, infrastructure upgrades, grassroots development, international competitions, and administrative functions. Strategic prioritization and efficient management of these resources are imperative to achieve meaningful results,” Hammed stated.
“The expectations for this budget are clear. It must be utilized to revitalize grassroots sports, with a focus on talent discovery and development in schools and communities. Many existing facilities are outdated and inadequate for training athletes to compete at global standards.”
The NSC, under Chairman Shehu Dikko, aims to use the funds to reset Nigeria’s sports ecosystem from competition-driven to developmental-driven, with projected outcomes including a three per cent GDP contribution and creation of three million jobs across the sports value chain.
Nigeria has successfully hosted several international sports events since 2024, including the African Athletics Championships and the forthcoming West African Football Federation Tournament billed to hold in September, 2025.
In the second quarter of 2025, the commission under the midwifery of a sports marketer, who is the Director-General, Bukola Olopade has attracted the sum of N40billion sponsorship deal from its Public-Private Partnership.
Their tenure, characterized by a quiet but effective approach, has been instrumental in fostering stability, attracting private-sector investment, and positioning sports as a significant sector for employment and revenue generation.
As Nigeria celebrates the qualification of numerous sporting events in 2025, it becomes evident that sustained and upgraded government support can transform the nation into a global sports powerhouse.
The NSC also played a key role in the Super Falcons’ recent historic 10th WAFCON title win, and the 14th African Arm wrestling Championship where Nigeria emerged as overall champions. Additionally, the NSC is focused on contributing 5% to Nigeria’s GDP through sports by 2027. Furthermore, the NSC played a crucial role in the achievements of the D’Tigress, Nigeria’s women’s basketball team, and successful hosting of 2025 African Karate Championship in Abuja, ensuring world-class facilities and standards were maintained.
Team Nigeria has also achieved success at various other international competitions, including the African Youth Athletics Championship and Commonwealth Games, showcasing their overall sporting strength.
The National Institute of Sports, an arm of the NSC, has produced over 10,000 coaches and sports managers, many of whom have made significant contributions to sports both in Nigeria and internationally.
The successes recorded so far in Nigerian sports, especially the National Sports Festival, U18/U20 African Athletics Championships and triumph of Super Falcons at the just concluded WAFCON in Morocco are giving stakeholders reasons to believe that betters days are ahead. Another major achievement recorded by D’Tigress at the just concluded 2025 FIBA Women’s Afrobasket further buttress how the partnership between these two experts have made Nigeria sports a thing of joy for many Nigerian fans.
Commenting on the transformative success of the commission, the Commissioner for sports development in Ogun state, Hon. Wasiu Isiaka lauded President Tinubu’s administration reinstating the NSC as the governing body for sports in Nigeria, saying it demonstrates the administration’s commitment to sports development.
Isiaka expressed optimism that the combination of the duo would spur Nigeria’s sport sector to greatness saying, “As a sports enthusiast, I am thrilled to see an individual like Mallam Shehu Dikko and Ozogula being entrusted with such an important role.
“The combination is very good for those of us who have been in this business since when we are young. We have seen a whole lot. We have gone through stress when it comes to matters of administration, when it comes to will and determination of government to support what we are doing. They have been very determined, and in actual fact, they have been very straightforward with what they are doing. Innovations such as podium performance are one area we need to talk about. The emphasis in taking our youths from the grassroots to stardom. See what happened at the National Sports Festival that we had, the IJA that was invited, that’s kind of innovation. That’s a kind of ambition when you think outside the box,” Isiaka averred.
Osaze Ebueku, Senior Manager at MTN says, “When you have a round peg in a round hole, the result you see are excited. I have no doubt in the likes of Shehu Dikko and the DG, they have proven themselves long time ago and they are well fit to deliver an excellent result. They are doing a great job, and Nigerians are seeing it, as Nigerians, we applaud them, that’s why at MTN, we will continue to support them for the benefit of Nigerians.
According to the President, Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Tonobok Okowa, the appointment of Shehu Dikko and Bukola Olopade was one of the best decisions the presidency has made so far.
Okowa maintained that, “No doubt, these two is one of the best decisions President Bola Tinubu has made. Because we now have people that know about sports, stakeholders in sports, not appointing a minister that does not know much in sports and when you are discussing with them, it is always difficult for them to understand. But these guys have been involved in football and athletics in their respective ways, I believe they are just starting.”
No doubt, many sport enthusiasts believed that if this partnership between Dikko and Olopade continue for the next three years, Nigeria sports will witness more breakthroughs, more success and the dream of becoming a power house at international competitions will not just be a distant one, but what Nigeria can truly achieved.
