Fatimah Otunsanya
President Bola Tinubu has approved a comprehensive reset of Nigeria’s sports funding framework, directing that funds for sporting activities and infrastructure be adequately provided for and released promptly beginning from the 2026 fiscal year.
The President, in a statement on his official X ( Formerly Twitter) handle on Friday, which centered on Nigeria’s sports performance in 2025, said the decision was aimed at ending years of delayed funding, bureaucratic bottlenecks and poor infrastructure development that have hampered athletes’ preparation and performance.
Tinubu noted that Nigerian athletes delivered exceptional performances across disciplines in 2025, with the country winning a cumulative 373 medals at various levels, including continental and global competitions.
“In 2025, from individual champions in athletics and other sports to our winning female football and basketball teams, as well as the Super Eagles who, despite their bronze medal at AFCON 2025, captured our hearts, scores of athletes representing Nigeria made our nation proud,” he said.
The President described sports as one of Nigeria’s strongest national brands, noting that it unifies the country across ethnic, religious and social lines.
“Sports is one of our strongest brands as a nation. It unifies us, breaks all our fault lines, inspires belief, and builds a sense of community,” Tinubu said.
Commending the National Sports Commission, the President praised its leadership under Shehu Dikko for driving reforms in line with his administration’s Renewed Hope agenda, despite existing challenges.
However, Tinubu admitted that chronic issues have undermined sports development in the country.
For too long, sports funding was slowed by bureaucracy, fragmented across institutions, and when funds are released, they come too late to support proper preparation and even participation,” he said, adding that poor investment in sports infrastructure had also placed athletes at a disadvantage.
To address this, the President said he had directed the Ministries of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, as well as the Budget Office of the Federation, to ensure that from 2026, provisions for sports infrastructure development, maintenance, programmes, events and international participation are made annually in the national budget.
“All funds so appropriated are to be released immediately once the budget is passed and assented to. Nigerian athletes deserve certainty, not excuses,” Tinubu said.
He further disclosed that funding for sporting activities currently spread across various ministries, departments and agencies would be reviewed, streamlined and transferred into a unified funding framework under the National Sports Commission.
According to the President, the reforms are anchored on the Renewed Hope Initiative for Nigeria’s Sports Economy, which positions sports as a catalyst for job creation, tourism, investment and global influence.
“The future of Nigerian sports will be planned, properly funded, and competitive. We will support our athletes early, prepare them thoroughly, and celebrate them proudly,” Tinubu said.