Tinubu Engages NSC Chair, Dikko On Sports Devt

President Bola Tinubu has engaged the newly appointed Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Mallam Shehu Dikko, on sports development in the country.

Fielding questions from newsmen after the meeting late Thursday, Dikko said the President was in the loop of all the happenings in the sports sector and was passionate about its development.

According to him, issues of the nation’s qualification for the next World Cup, payment of outstanding owed Super Eagles players, need to create a sports academy in the country amongst others topped discussions with the President.

The NSC boss who said he discussed the next national sports festival scheduled to be held in Ogun state, disclosed that he urged the President to declare Sports as a national asset considering the stabilization roles it plays in the country.

He said “What we are telling Mr President is to declare sports as a national asset. Sport should be our national asset, which means it’s a special concessions, special privileges and special legislations, executive orders to get things done properly…We have a target of what we want to achieve. Sports should be part of the GDP.

At least should be 3% of GDP. We have to see how many people we’re putting into jobs. We are targeting about 3 million people over the next 3,4,5, years, and six years, and we can say they are being employed through sports, both directly, indirectly and in induced employment.

“We have to be very good in development that we can be able to compete at any level. We have to control the market, the sports market in the world, where we can take talent abroad and earn dollars back to the country and develop the country.

We have to work on our infrastructure to make sure that we have our infrastructures working. Everywhere in the country should have at least a very good infrastructure that can be able to support sports development.

And as you know, sport is our national unity; once we are playing sports, all our deficits, all our differences, are forgotten. It’s something that binds us together.

So we should take it much more seriously because, with that in place, you can be able to achieve much more through the productivity we can unlock in that process.”

On efforts the Commission was making toward the qualification of the country for the 2026 World Cup, Dikko said “It’s all part of the conversation that we had now with  Mr. President, and briefed him on clearly, the situation and what needs to be done.

And I think, and then a couple of weeks, you can see the steps, steps that will be taken by both Mr President and the Commission and the NFF will be driving towards getting all this result and everything perfected; so that by March, when we resume, the Super Eagles will be 100% focus on just to deliver the result.

“Well, somewhere in our hands, but we have to do the best that we can to make sure we give it the best shot and win our last six matches and see where that takes us, which surely should be the World Cup.”