NIS, EFFA Management Partner to Drive Renewed Hope Sports Economy

The National Institute for Sports (NIS) has reiterated the Institute’s mandate to align with the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Renewed Hope Agenda in order to diversify the sports economy.

‎Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the National Institute for Sports, Comrade Philip Shaibu, re-echoed this during the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the NIS and EFFA Management Ltd at the NIS Building, Package B of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja.

‎In his address, the DG/CEO, NIS, Comrade Shaibu explained that was imperative to partner the private sector following the keen interest of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration in sports through the Renewed Hope Agenda.

He stated that the diversification of the sports economy will not be achieved if the NIS relies solely on the government of which funding is already scarce.

‎”So today, in line with the mandate given to us by the president, we should go to NIS and breathe in the Renewed Hope Agenda and make sure it wakes up NIS to its core mandate

‎”We decided that we should also bring in the private sector because government funding as far as NIS is concerned is at the lowest point. We have to bring the private sector in to help us actualize this mandate. And the only way it can be actualized is for us to show what government role is as far as our mandates of bringing Renewed Hope in the NIS.

“And we’ve been having conversations with other agencies and other private partners in different fields. Some in terms of facility upgrades, while others  in terms of maintenance. We are also engaging others  in terms of curriculum, to be able to have that partnership that works, that will not only bring Renew Hope into our sport ecosystem, but sustain it, because sustainability is the issue,” stressed Comrade Shaibu.

‎Director, EFFA Management Limited, Mr. Olumide Fakeyeye, who commended the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration for the undiluted attention given to the sports industry said that gesture inspired their partnership with the NIS to ensure that the Renewed Hope Agenda to diversify the Sports economy is achieved.

‎”If you look around Nigeria, you can tell talent is not our issue.

‎And if you can see around the world, if you see Nigerians born abroad representing other nations, you will see how strong they are. It’s from the foundation here. But the only thing that’s missing is having enough environments for these talented athletes to develop themselves, to have the right mindset, to be surrounded by winners as well.

‎”Nigerians, when it comes to sport, we’re actually a superpower, and we just don’t know it yet. Because there’s nothing that they can’t do abroad that we can’t do here. But initiatives like this, having such a visionary as a president, bringing the right people together, has allowed us to be here. Him being appointed has given me renewed hope in the country.

‎”So, again, I don’t want to talk too much because the talking is going to be done when we start developing the project.”

‎Also speaking, the Principal Consultant to the National Institute for Sports, Dr. Remu Majiroh explained that the event is more than just a partnership for sports performance but also aimed at tapping from the numerous advantages of the system which includes combatting unemployment among the teeming youth in Nigeria.

‎”Sport is big. It should be one of the biggest sources of employment.

‎We’ve done a bit of our data analysis and data gathering, and we have discovered that sports can actually employ close to 15 to 20 million people in Nigeria, that’s how big it can be.

‎If you take the records, Nigeria has about 36 sports. So imagine having athletes across the 36 sports, across the 36 states, including Abuja.

‎That will show you the level of participation that is involved, or that the private sector needs to get involved in.

‎And we’re not just talking about direct athletes. We’re talking about the value chain, the houses they will live in, the matches, the merchandise, the cleaners, and everybody involved. So you can imagine the direct and indirect jobs that could be gained from sports.

‎”And the only way we can drive this and achieve this is through private sector investments and through private sector partnerships. And that is what has happened today,” concludes the NIS consultant.