The National Institute for Sports (NIS) has reiterated its commitment to aligning with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to diversify the Nigeria’s sports economy.
The Director-General of NIS, Philip Shaibu, said this on Tuesday in Abuja during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the institute and EFFA Management Ltd., a private firm.
Shaibu said collaboration with the private sector was imperative, given the Tinubu administration’s interest in repositioning sports under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
He said diversification of the sports economy would be difficult to achieve if the institute relied solely on government funding, which he described as inadequate.
“The President gave us a mandate to introduce the Renewed Hope Agenda to NIS and ensure that the institute returns to its core mandate,”Shaibu said. In line with that mandate, we decided to engage the private sector,”
“Because government funding, as far as NIS is concerned, is at its lowest point. We are also in discussions with other agencies and private partners across various fields to explore areas of support.”
“The support could be in terms of facility upgrades, maintenance, curriculum development and other areas. We require partnerships that will ensure sustainability,” Shaibu added.
Also speaking, the Director of EFFA Management Ltd., Olumide Fakeyeye, expressed optimism that the partnership would yield positive results in the coming years.
Fakeyeye commended the Federal Government’s renewed focus on sports, noting that it inspired the company’s decision to partner with the institute. He said Nigeria possessed enormous sports talent but lacked adequate environments for proper development.
“Initiatives like this, supported by a visionary leadership, are helping to bring the right people together to unlock the potential in Nigerian sports,” Fakeyeye said.
