The Principal of Igbobi College Lagos, Venerable Joseph Oyewale Adediji, has called for a major reform of Nigeria’s sports development system, insisting that school sports must return to the centre of the country’s talent discovery strategy.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with SPORTS247, Adediji reflected on the period when school competitions served as one of Nigeria’s most effective scouting networks and argued that rebuilding the system could unlock another generation of sporting talents.
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According to him, school sports were once deeply embedded in Nigeria’s sporting culture, with schools providing young athletes with opportunities to compete, develop their abilities and attract the attention of coaches and scouts.
“At the time, there was significant emphasis on sports in schools, especially at the grassroots level. We believed in catching young talents early and developing them,” Adediji explained.
He noted that the success of the old system was largely driven by the deliberate attention given to grassroots development. Rather than waiting for talents to emerge through isolated opportunities, schools provided a structured environment where young athletes could be identified at an early age.
However, Adediji believes Nigeria gradually moved away from that model, creating a gap in the country’s talent identification process.
He pointed to what he described as an increasing dependence on foreign initiatives, stressing that Nigeria already possesses the human resources needed to build a sustainable sporting system.
“Nigeria is blessed with numerous talented individuals, but one of our major problems is the failure to discover these talents,” he said.
For the Igbobi College principal, identifying talented youngsters is only the beginning. He stressed that successful sports development requires a clear pathway that takes athletes from discovery through training, mentorship and professional development before ultimately exposing them to international competition.
“Discovering home-grown talents is only the first step. They must also be properly developed, trained, nurtured and eventually presented on the global stage.”
Adediji therefore believes Nigeria must return to a deliberate school and grassroots sports structure, while adapting it to the realities of modern sports.
With schools once again positioned as talent hubs, he argues, Nigeria can create a sustainable pipeline capable of producing athletes for national and international competition.
His message is clear: if Nigeria wants to rebuild its sporting fortunes, the journey must begin where young talents are first discovered—in schools.
