National Sports Commission Pledges Equal Opportunities for All Sports

The National Sports Commission (NSC) has reaffirmed its commitment to providing equal opportunities for the development of all sports across Nigeria.

Chairman of the Commission, Shehu Dikko, represented by his Chief of Staff, Salihu Abubakar, gave the assurance on Tuesday while receiving a delegation from the Japan African Baseball and Softball Foundation (J-ABS) in Abuja.

Dikko said the present administration was determined to ensure that no sport would be regarded as inferior or neglected.

“In this dispensation, there is nothing called small sports. Every sport will get equal opportunity to flourish. Mr President confirmed this when he gave the same $100,000 reward to both the women’s football team and the basketball team. In our eyes, all sports are equal,” he said.

He added that the Commission recognised the potential of baseball and had been responsive to the Nigeria Baseball and Softball Federation’s requests.

“With a population of 250 million, Nigeria has enormous talents that can be harnessed in baseball. It is a sport that thrives on strength and dignity, which are qualities in abundance here. Nigeria has the best talent reservoir on the continent and should be among the top baseball nations in Africa,” he stated.

Dikko also noted that the sport could contribute significantly to the country’s economy.

“Baseball is a potentially huge revenue earner. We have been given a mandate by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to harness the potential of the sports economy. Our target is for sports to contribute at least three per cent to the nation’s GDP, and baseball can play a part in creating the jobs needed to achieve this,” he added.

The visiting J-ABS delegation, led by President Shinja Tomonari, explained that their mission was part of preparations for the JICA Grassroots Technical Cooperation Project. The initiative, they said, would provide technical support to coaches and expand baseball at the grassroots level in Nigeria.