Chairman of the Nigeria Sports Commission, Mallam Shehu Dikko, has spoke on the urgent need to revamp the country’s sports infrastructure.
Dikko acknowledged the lack of both short-term and long-term plans but assuring that efforts are underway to tackle the challenges.
The president stated that Nigerian sports require significant restructuring, support, and a fresh framework for development, urging patience from stakeholders as the commission works towards building a sustainable and successful future.
“I’m working on the infrastructure, because we need the infrastructure to be able to train the people. Training infrastructure, every infrastructure to do that.”
“So, we don’t have any short-term or long-term plan about it but we want to just take it up head-on and see what we can deliver as quickly as possible.”
Racing Against Time to Rebuild Nigerian Sports
Shehu Dikko acknowledged that the task ahead is immense, but necessary steps are being taken to lay a strong foundation for a new sports structure.
“We are wrestling against time. Our sports need all the revamping, all the support it needs, all the restructuring and the new framework of doing things that is needed.”
“So, we are working on it, but people should just be patient, let’s put the building blocks because we are trying to build from the foundation.”
“Rebuilding Takes Time” – A Bold but Necessary Decision
Dikko compared the process to constructing a solid building, explaining that while destruction can happen instantly, rebuilding requires patience and careful planning.
“You know, building from the foundation is not easy. To destroy a building, you can pull down this building today in less than 24 hours.”
“However, whether you are a magician or not, you can never build it in 24 hours. You must follow every step of the way for the building to stand the way it should.”
Urging patience, Dikko reassured that the Sports Commission is making “bold, deliberate, and intentional decisions”to rebuild Nigerian sports from the ground up.
“People should see it that way. We are just making a bold decision, deliberate decision, intentional decision that we go back and start building from the foundation and put the right framework that will make our sports very successful and sustainable for the future.”
A New Era for Nigerian Sports?
As Nigeria’s sports landscape undergoes this transformation, with long-term sustainability in focus, the commission’s success will ultimately be measured by the country’s performance on the global stage in the coming years.
