Tag: Dikko

The House of Representatives Committee on Sports has lauded the Chairman, National Sports Commission (NSC), Mr Shehu Dikko for his unwavering commitment to sports development in the country.

The Chairman of the committee, Rep. Kabiru Amadu (PDP-Zamfara), gave the commendation in a statement yesterday  in Abuja.

Amodu described Dikko, who recently turned 55, as a transparent and bold reformer with admirable leadership style and dedication to the advancement of sports in Nigeria.

According to him, there is no doubt that the country will, in the coming years, begin to reap the benefits of his visionary leadership at the NSC.

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 “Dikko has devoted much of his life to repositioning the sports and has made significant contributions in the sector.

 “His honest and transparent leadership style and sustained commitment to overcoming obstacles for the growth of sports is laudable.

 “On behalf of the House Committee on Sports, I congratulate Dikko on the occasion of his 55th birthday.

 “I pray that he remains healthy and happy and continue to work for the betterment of Nigerian sports,” Amadu said.

Sequel to an earlier collaborative meeting with the  officials of Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) aimed at changing the face of sports broadcasting in Nigeria, National Sports Commission (NSC) Chairman Mallam Shehu Dikko has been holding strategic meetings with key stakeholders and partners in Paris, France.

The three-day engagements and bilateral meetings involved the NSC Chairman, the Nigerian delegation that also included teams from the NTA and other relevant agencies under Federal Ministry of Information and Orientation such as NBC, FRCN, VON etc. as well as technical advisors and Thomson Broadcast of France.

 Thomson Broadcast are the original manufacturers that designed, constructed and delivered the 6Nr Sports Outside Broadcast Vans (Sports OB Vans) to Nigeria some time ago, among other technical projects across TV and Radio.

Speaking in the wake of the meetings, the NSC Chairman said: “Fundamentally, sports and media go hand in hand and it is media broadcast and content management that promotes sponsorship, viewership, proper monetization and revenue inflows into sports and generally drive sustainable development in the sports industry. The deficit of an  appropriate sports broadcasting structure has been a huge drawback to Nigerian sports development and deliberate and intentional steps must be taken to resolve this debilitating deficit.

“Therefore, as a key part of the Renewed Hope Initiative for Nigeria’s Sports Economy (RHINSE) framework, the NSC has the objectives to ensure the availability of professional broadcast equipment/facilities, dedicated sports channels, regulations, competencies and capabilities in the county to enable the professional production, distribution and monetization of sports contents in the country in line with the best international practices. These steps would in turn provide the firm structural foundation for the proper harnessing of the potentials of the sports economy in the country.”

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To actualize this, the National Sports Commission is collaborating closely with NTA duly supported by the Federal Ministry of Information and orientation and other international partners to ensure that the available Sports OB Vans in Nigeria are rehabilitated and upgraded, including training of relevant technical personnel/competencies across the country. These resources would be made available to drive sports development, ensuring adequate quality coverage, promotion, distribution and monetization of all sporting activities in the country to the benefit of all stakeholders.

Dikko continued: “The engagements with Thomson Broadcast was aimed at agreeing a road map towards revamping the existing FGN-owned Sports OB Vans, resuscitating the International Broadcast Centre (IBC) located at the MKO Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, training of personnel and transfer of expertise to be domiciled across all zones of the country, showcasing latest technologies and discussing tailored solutions to meet the needs of Nigerian sports broadcasting going forward among other issues of interest like Esports development.

“In conclusion of this engagement, an outline Work Plan was agreed by the parties to get the project started, with clear deliverables/expected outcomes set both in the short, medium, and long term. This project, is one of the game changers required in the Nigerian sports and media space clearly aligned to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR’s Renewed Hoped Agenda and Shared Prosperity vision. We remain grateful to Mr. President for empowering the NSC to set out on this road never travelled before at this level and institutional support. This is an extremely fundamental and practical step to delivering the vision to reset, refocus and relaunch Nigerian sports accordingly.”

The NSC Chairman highlighted previous efforts aimed at resolution of the identified deficits  while he was the LMC-NPFL Chairman.

His words: “It’s worthy to note that previously, under my watch as Chairman of the LMC, we had attempted a similar collaboration with NTA which now set the possibilities and pathway for this project. Though we achieved appreciable progress then during the previous attempt with the resolution of the sports broadcast regulatory framework under the NBC and production of over 60 live matches in 2021 alone for the NPFL, CAF and FIFA using the NTA equipment and domestic competencies.

“The matches were distributed across all platforms globally including the NPFL.TV channel we created, which had downloads across over 150 counties within first month of its launch. Unfortunately, the project floundered due to lack of institutional support and other adverse issues, but we were sure the lessons learnt would eventually shape the future now as we restart.

“It is, therefore, extremely exciting that it has now taken the clarity of vision, strength of conviction and unwavering support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR to identify and pursue this project as one of the fundamental key drivers for the transformation of the entire Nigeria sports industry and economy.  Once again we reiterate our gratitude to Mr. President for his keen sense of history and transformational leadership as we get set to work to deliver the project with the support of all critical stakeholders and parties collectively.”

Former Minister for Youth and Sports, Sunday Dare, says the future of Nigeria Sports is secured under the current administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, following the aggressive reforms currently going on under the National Sports Commission (NSC).

Sunday Dare who is currently the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication said Nigeria has a President who is in tune with 21st century sports development.

“When you look at the budget of Sports now and when I was the Sports Minister, you will discover that it is a complete revolution that has taken place in Nigerian Sports under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu”.

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“This is a President that understands the importance of Sports Development to our youthful population that also understands the importance of Sports diplomacy, where countries are leveraging the soft power of sports, even when you go to global organisations.”

Dare however showered praises on the current leadership of the National Sports Commission with  Mallam Shehu Dikko as Chairman and Hon. Bukola Olopade as Director General, describing their combination as a Game-changer for Nigeria Sports.

He added: “Sports development in Nigeria is now in good hands with Shehu Dikko and Hon. Bukola Olopade. These are men that can take risks for sports development. They come onboard with something that is rare. The extent of their network is massive and extensive and that is what we need to lead Sports Development in the 21st century. Beyond what the Government can offer, you need people with deep roots in the Corporate World and these two men are really very comfortable when it comes to that terrain”, he concluded.

The National Sports Commission (NSC)  Chairman, Mallam Shehu Dikko, has reiterated the critical role education plays in sports development.

He was speaking as a special guest at a meeting of the Rectors and Provosts of Polytechnics and Colleges of Education with the Honourable Minister of Education Dr. Morufu Olatunji Alausa in furtherance of the on-going collaboration between the NSC and Ministry of education to revive and advance school sports in Nigeria.

Describing schools as essential hubs for talent identification, nurturing, and growth, Dikko noted that integrating structured sports programs into educational institutions creates an environment where young people can excel both academically and athletically, thereby contributing to the nation’s sports ecosystem.

He said:  “Mr. President is very interested in grassroots sports development and indeed sports development. We have to align with Mr. President’s vision for sports and be deliberate in this bottom to top development of sports. There should be sports programs deliberately integrated into our educational curriculum that will enable students to excel in sports while also not negating their academic pursuits. The schools are solid catchment areas for talents because you will get athletes who are both physically and intellectually balanced.”

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He also outlined plans to ensure that sports programs within educational institutions are no longer carried out in isolation including the creation of centre of excellence within the school structure on a pyramid level. He pledged that the Commission will collaborate closely with the Ministry of Education to provide the necessary support at all levels, enabling schools to serve as a foundation for sustainable sports development.

These efforts will include facilitating access to resources, building institutional capacity, and fostering long-term strategies to integrate sports into the academic framework.

In conclusion, Dikko enjoined the gathering to sustain the engagement and ensure that all stakeholders are on the same page while doing what is required of them to advance the program’s objectives 

Prof. Aliu Mamman, Chairman Representative of Rectors (Polytechnics), expressed gratitude to the Honorable Minister of Education for initiating the collaboration and to Mallam Shehu Dikko for his active involvement as special Guest. He highlighted the upcoming NIPOGA Games later this year as a significant opportunity to showcase the results of this collaboration. He reaffirmed the commitment of Polytechnics to advancing youth development through sports.

Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Mallam Shehu Dikko has congratulated Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries Women Basketball Club for doing the nation proud at the ongoing Federation of International Basketball Associations (FIBA) Africa Women Basketball League zone 3 qualifiers in Monrovia, Liberia.

Speaking shortly after the Nigerian women’s league champions qualified for the finals of the Women Basketball League Africa holding in Dakar, Senegal from 6 to 12 December 2024, the NSC Chairman said it was a thing of joy that the MFM girls have shown that Nigeria has the potential to dominate the rest of Africa and the world in sports.

“I’ve been following the exploits of the MFM girls and I’m glad that they’ve made the country proud by qualifying for the bigger stage which is the FIBA league for women in Africa where the best 8 teams will assemble in December. I have no doubt in my mind that they will hold their own against the rest of Africa.

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“I want to commend the MFM General Overseer, Dr Daniel Olukoya for his investment in youths and sports in Nigeria. We all recall the exploits of MFM Football team that was a force to reckon with in the NPFL and they represented Nigeria in the CAF Champions League a few years ago during my time as the chairman of NPFL. I am also aware that MFM has a wrestling team that has produced world beaters and even a table tennis team. These are worthy of commendations from the clergy and indeed the MFM model duly align with the NSC vision of domestic sports development. We thank him and urge him not to stop impacting the youths because we will find a way of showing our support in the days to come,” stated the NSC Chairman.

Dikko also congratulated the Nigerian Customs for their great efforts to get to the semi-final of the competition where they lost to MFM.

MFM Women Basketball club defeated the country’s other representatives, Nigeria Customs in the semi final played at the Samuel Kayon Doe stadium in Monrovia on Saturday’s evening and will be Nigeria’s sole representatives in the FIBA Africa Women Basketball League in Dakar, Senegal.

Newly appointed Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC) , Mallam Shehu Dikko, has unveiled the new direction for the nation’s sports, emphasising  a change of mind-set from the fixation of just participating in competitions to bending back to fix our domestic sports development, with the objective of harnessing the full potentials of sector to contribute to the national economy, in line with the vision of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Dikko said as much yesterday when the former  Minister of Sports Development , Senator John Owan  Enoh officially handed over  to him the affairs of the country’s sports at a  brief ceremony in Abuja.

According to him, the focus of the National Sports Commission is to set right the foundation of our national sports while the results will naturally come in a sustainable manner.

“We cannot continue to run in cycles, so, we need to have a different approach from day one because in my view and indeed the firm view of President  Bola Ahmed Tinubu, competitions is what we call  “consumption” because we just take scarce resources and burn out abroad without any impact  on the domestic sports ecosystem and the Nigerian economy,” he noted.

He continued: We have to go back to “production” which is deliberate sports development, where we set the structure right, set the framework and put together good parameters to have a sustainable sports development system which will naturally give us a solid sports economy and guarantee competitive participation in international competitions.

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He revealed that, for this reason, his administration of the National Sports Commission will focus on three cardinal planks for development, first of which is to run sports “as a National Asset, entitled to special privileges, regulations and concessions to drive growth and development, to open its potentials to be a key driver of the economy across all sectors, a vehicle for achieving national cohesion and a platform for the projection of the positive and unique attributes of our culture and national identity.

He continued: “We have to also work on legislations and regulations so as to set the framework to enable the industry to grow effectively like what happened in the communications industry some years back

“The other pillar is investing in purposeful world class infrastructures that will provide an enabling environment for growth. These infrastructures must be deliberate with maintenance culture and span, from world class infrastructure for professional sports to community infrastructure to drive grassroots sports and mass participation across the country.

“The thinking of Mr President is that, after  having some of these in place we should be able to  measure the country’s sports by its contribution to the nation’s GDP by at least three percent (3%) addition via sports, the number of jobs provided by sports and its value chain in the country in the next four to five years and, indeed, our competitiveness across all competitions and tournaments.

“Thus, it is a visionary  decision for Mr. President to approve the return of the National Sports Commission to drive this process and objectives, in line with the best international practices and standards, devoid of any bureaucratic bottlenecks but with absolute professionalism.”

Speaking in more specific terms, Dikko outlined the task before him as structural organization to position and enable the National Sports Commission to implement the desired policies and framework envisaged; facilitation of private sector participation in the sector through investment in talents production and infrastructure development; restructuring and capacity building of the sports federations, and the engagement of competent personnel and partners to deliver on the mandate for optimal performance; policy development by putting together strategies, policies and legislations to protect and support sports development in the country; institutional support by ensuring that the NSC seamlessly assumes the assets and liabilities from the defunct Federal Ministry of Sports; most critically, commencing the process of amending and updating the NSC Act to align with international best practices, creating a professional governance framework; resolving the funding challenges of sports in Nigeria; and providing the enabling environment to drive Mr President’s vision to create a sustainable sports economy in Nigeria.

Sydney 2000 Olympics gold medalist, Tafida Gadzama, has thanked Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu for listening to the voice of millions of  Nigerians who called for the removal of Senator  John Owan Enoh as the Minister of Sports Development; and for returning the National Sports Commission.

Gadzama, who helped Nigeria secured her first relay gold medal at the Olympics and ran the first leg a year earlier for the 4x400m team that won the gold medal at the 1999 African Games in Johannesburg, South Africa, also thanked the President for appointing Shehu Dikko as the Chairman of the NSC.

“Thank you, Mr. President, for not only removing Mr Enoh but for also scrapping the Federal Ministry of Sports Development .Nigerians, especially sports men and women will be eternally grateful to you for bringing back the National Sports Commission and for appointing Dikko as the Chairman,” said Gadzama said  from his base in the United Kingdom.

Gadzama recalled  it was the defunct National Sports Commission that provided the solid foundation for Nigeria’s impressive performances in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s.

“I believe Dikko can lay another solid foundation that will berth a new era in sports in Nigeria and bring in the needed funding without necessarily running to government always. He has crisscrossed the world in  search  of knowledge to become a better sports administrator and a better sports marketer.

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“He has held important positions in sports in and outside Nigeria that have given him the required experience to hit the ground running when he eventually resumes as the leader of sports in Nigeria.

“He is someone who possesses a combination of skills and qualities that will enable him to effectively manage and promote sports organizations, clubs, or events. He has the ability to clearly convey information and build relationships with athletes, coaches, and stakeholders.

“I am confident his passion for sports and proficiency in planning, scheduling, and managing events and activities will make him that game changer we have been yearning for in Nigeria,” said Gadzama who is also the first Vice President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria.