By Andrew Abah, Abuja
The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the National Institute for Sports (NIS), H. E. Comrade Philip Shuaibu, has renewed calls for increased funding to reposition the institute and advance sports development in Nigeria.
Shuaibu made the appeal on Wednesday during a budget defence session at the National Assembly in Abuja.
The NIS boss reaffirmed the institute’s commitment to fulfilling its mandate of training manpower for the sports ecosystem and promoting grassroots sports development, stressing that inadequate funding remains a major constraint.
“Our mandate is to train manpower for the sports ecosystem and promote sports from the grassroots,” he said. “But we cannot achieve this without adequate government funding. We need a budget that reflects our vision and mission to improve sports in Nigeria.”
The immediate past Deputy Governor of Edo State commended President Bola Tinubu and the House Committee on Sports for their continued support but urged the speedy constitution of the board of the National Sports Commission, noting that it would play a critical role in revitalising the sector.
According to him, a properly constituted board would provide strategic direction and institutional stability necessary for long-term sports development.
Describing the NIS as the lifeline of sports development in the country, Shuaibu therefore called for premium attention to the institute to enable Nigeria attain greater heights in local and international competitions.
He attributed the institute’s limited visibility across states of the federation to persistent underfunding, which he said has hampered its expansion and outreach programmes.
Earlier, the Chairman of the House Committee on Sports, Rep. Kabiru Amadu, had decried the poor funding of the institute, describing it as a critical pillar in national sports development.
Amadu emphasised the need for increased budgetary allocation to enable the NIS discharge its responsibilities effectively and pledged the committee’s commitment to working with relevant stakeholders to improve its funding for optimal performance.
The National Institute of Sports, established in 1974, serves as Nigeria’s premier training and research centre for sports development, with a mandate to produce qualified coaches, sports administrators, and technical personnel to drive excellence in the sector.
