We’ve Revived Training Programmes At NIS After 30 Years — Shaibu

The Director-General of the National Institute of Sports (NIS), Phillip Shaibu, has said the Institute has begun reviving its core training programmes after three decades of inactivity, describing the move as a critical step toward fixing Nigeria’s sports ecosystem.

Shaibu made the disclosure on Monday while speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, where he revealed that the NIS recently conducted its first three-month coaching programme in 30 years.

According to him, the programme was held in Abuja, with participants graduating on December 18 last year.

“We had our first three-month coaching programme after 30 years in Abuja, and we graduated those students on December 18,” Shaibu said.

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He explained that the revival was achieved through a Public-Private Partnership arrangement, which he said became necessary due to the state in which he met the Institute upon assuming office.

Shaibu noted that, ideally, the government should provide the facilities while the private sector handles operations, but circumstances forced a reversal of that model.

“I couldn’t wait because the state I met NIS was a reflection of how our sports sector is being treated,” he said, adding that the decay at the Institute mirrors the uncertainty Nigerians feel during international sporting competitions.

Shaibu stressed that the NIS plays a foundational role in sports development, producing athletes, coaches, referees, and technical officials who sustain the entire sports value chain.

According to him, the Institute serves as the training hub for the nation’s sports ecosystem, and its prolonged dysfunction has had far-reaching consequences.

“NIS is the critical sector that produces the players, coaches, and referees. It is the training institute for the sports ecosystem. So, when that system is not functioning, don’t expect anything better in Nigerian sports because the engine room for sports is not functioning,” the former Edo State deputy governor stated.