NIS Must Become Nigeria’s ‘Engine Room’ for Champions — Shaibu

The Director-General of the National Institute for Sports (NIS), Philip Shaibu, has reaffirmed the institute’s crucial role in reviving Nigeria’s sports sector, describing the NIS as the “engine room” for producing champions and rebuilding the country’s sporting fortunes.

Shaibu, a former deputy governor of Edo State, said the institute must take the lead in shaping the future of Nigerian sports through reforms, improved training programmes and stronger partnerships with the private sector.

According to him, the NIS is central to the development of athletes, coaches, referees, sports scientists and other professionals needed to strengthen the country’s sports ecosystem.

He noted that the institute had suffered years of neglect, outdated facilities and inadequate manpower, which he said contributed to the decline of sports development in Nigeria. Shaibu revealed that only a few qualified professionals currently occupy critical positions within the institute, while much of its infrastructure requires urgent rehabilitation.

The NIS boss stated that his administration was working towards repositioning the institute into a world-class centre for athletic excellence capable of competing globally. He said the reform agenda includes upgrading facilities, modernising the curriculum and investing in the training of coaches and sports administrators.

Shaibu also stressed the importance of public-private partnerships in reviving the sports sector, arguing that government funding alone would not be enough to achieve meaningful transformation.

He further disclosed that the institute had resumed some of its training programmes after decades of inactivity, describing the move as part of broader efforts to restore the NIS to its original mandate.

The NIS Director-General maintained that a functional institute would help Nigeria rediscover and nurture local talents capable of competing at the highest international level.