The National Sports Commission (NSC) and the Federal Ministry of Education have launched the National Sports and Education Excellence Programme (N-SEEP), a new initiative designed to combine quality education with elite sports development and create a structured pathway for discovering and nurturing Nigeria’s young sporting talents.
Key Highlights
NSC and Education Ministry launch N-SEEP to combine education and elite sports development.
Nine tertiary institutions have been selected as Sports and Education Centres of Excellence.
The first phase will begin in the 2026/2027 academic session at four institutions.
The programme will offer training in sports science, coaching, sports medicine, sports technology and sports business.
Government says N-SEEP will help athletes pursue sporting careers without sacrificing their education.
NSC is seeking international recognition and accreditation for relevant sports education programmes.
The programme will establish Sports and Education Centres of Excellence across nine tertiary institutions, giving student-athletes access to academic programmes, high-performance sports training and sports-related research.
Chairman of the NSC, Mallam Shehu Dikko, said the initiative was designed to address the long-standing challenge of young Nigerians having to choose between obtaining academic qualifications and pursuing careers in elite sports.
According to Dikko, N-SEEP will create an environment where athletes can pursue sporting excellence without sacrificing their education.
“This is about creating a system where our young athletes do not have to sacrifice education to pursue sporting excellence or abandon their sporting potential in order to obtain an education. We are creating an ecosystem where both can thrive together,” Dikko said.
He said Nigeria’s performance at the recently concluded Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games demonstrated the depth of sporting talent in the country, stressing the need to build structures capable of turning occasional successes into sustained international achievements.
Dikko also disclosed that discussions were ongoing with international football bodies, including FIFA and CAF, toward securing global accreditation and recognition for relevant Nigerian sports education programmes.
The Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, described N-SEEP as a major reform under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, saying it would allow Nigerian athletes to develop their sporting careers at home while obtaining internationally recognised qualifications.
“The future of sports lies not only in winning competitions, but in developing people through quality education,” Alausa said.
He explained that the programme would produce not only athletes but also professionals capable of driving the wider sports industry.
“Through this initiative, we are producing athletes who will also become coaches, sports scientists, physiotherapists, administrators, entrepreneurs, researchers and innovators,” he said.
Alausa noted that talented young Nigerians had for years faced the difficult choice between education and professional sports, saying N-SEEP was designed to eliminate that dilemma.
Nine Institutions Selected For N-SEEP
Nine tertiary institutions have been selected to host the National Sports and Education Centres of Excellence.
They are:
University of Ibadan
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria
Federal College of Education, Okene
Babcock University
University of Nigeria, Nsukka
University of Benin
University of Jos
Muhammad Buhari University, Maiduguri
Federal Polytechnic, Offa
The Director-General of the NSC, Hon. Bukola Olopade, said the programme represented a shift from measuring Nigeria’s sporting progress solely by the number of medals won at international competitions.
According to Olopade, N-SEEP would establish a broader sports ecosystem capable of producing athletes as well as coaches, sports scientists, medical experts, educators, administrators and other professionals.
“This is bigger than medals. We are building the human capital and institutional framework required for sustainable sporting excellence,” he said.
He added that the programme would provide the support system required by elite athletes, including high-level coaching, sports science, medical services, research and sports administration.
N-SEEP Begins In Four Institutions
The first phase of N-SEEP will commence in the 2026/2027 academic session at four pioneer institutions: the University of Ibadan, Ahmadu Bello University, Federal College of Education, Okene, and Babcock University.
The programme will subsequently be expanded to the remaining five institutions.
Participating institutions are expected to develop specialised sports faculties and programmes covering coaching, sports medicine, sports science, sports technology and data analytics, sports business, facility management, event management and sports administration.
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The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, called for greater flexibility within the participating institutions to accommodate the demands of student-athletes.
She advocated flexible academic calendars and stronger collaboration among faculties to enable athletes to combine training and competition with their studies.
The centres will also feature high-performance training facilities and modern research infrastructure, with the broader objective of developing both elite athletes and the professional workforce needed to sustain Nigeria’s emerging sports economy.
Beyond competitive sports, the initiative is expected to create more opportunities for young Nigerians, strengthen the country’s sports workforce, promote discipline and teamwork, support youth development and harness sports as a tool for economic growth and national cohesion.
Alausa commended Dikko, Olopade, members of the programme’s technical committee and other stakeholders for their collaboration in developing the initiative.
With N-SEEP, the Federal Government is seeking to create a structured system in which talented Nigerian athletes can learn, train and compete without having to sacrifice either education or their sporting ambitions.
