A new book offering a comprehensive roadmap for transforming Nigeria’s sports sector was unveiled in Abuja on Thursday, with sports administrators, former ministers and key stakeholders calling for sustainable funding, institutional reforms and greater private sector participation to unlock the country’s enormous sporting potential.
Titled: “Perspectives on Sports Development in Nigeria: Challenges and Ways Forward,” the book, authored by Emmanuel Ikpeme, examines the evolution of Nigerian sports, identifies the major challenges hindering its growth and proposes practical solutions to reposition the sector as a driver of economic development and national unity.
The unveiling attracted prominent figures in the sports industry, including Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Mallam Shehu Dikko, former Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh, former Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Solomon Dalung, administrators, federation officials, athletes and other stakeholders.
In the book’s preface, Ikpeme argues that while successive governments have made significant efforts to develop sports through policies, institutions and programmes such as the National Sports Festival, school sports and the National Sports Industry Policy (NSIP), the sector continues to grapple with inadequate funding, poor infrastructure, weak governance, limited application of sports science and persistent anti-doping challenges.
The author also examined major sports including football, athletics, basketball, boxing, volleyball, wrestling, table tennis, rugby, swimming, taekwondo and weightlifting, while advocating stronger investment in sports psychology, sports science and athlete welfare.
He further highlights recent reforms under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, including the approval of a ₦5 billion sports infrastructure bond, exemption of the National Sports Commission from the Treasury Single Account (TSA), and significant increases in budgetary allocations to sports.
Chairman of the occasion and former Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh, described the unveiling as an important milestone for Nigerian sports, saying books such as Ikpeme’s provide opportunities to assess the nation’s sporting journey and chart a better future.
Recalling his tenure as minister, Enoh said his administration ensured that, for the first time in many years, Nigerian athletes received their competition allowances before participating in international competitions.
He also noted that athletes no longer experienced shortages of sporting kits before major events and highlighted his administration’s efforts in addressing Nigeria’s anti-doping crisis, which had threatened the country’s participation in international competitions.
According to him, those reforms restored confidence in Nigeria’s sports administration and laid a solid foundation for future progress.
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He congratulated Ikpeme for making what he described as a significant contribution to sports administration literature.
Speaking as Special Guest of Honour, Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, commended the author for identifying the critical issues confronting Nigerian sports while proposing workable solutions.
Dikko revealed that after reading the manuscript and writing the foreword, he advised the author to include an additional chapter in future editions to document the ongoing reforms being implemented under President Tinubu.
According to him, many of the challenges identified in the book are already being addressed through comprehensive reforms initiated by the federal government.
