The Nigeria Association for Physical Health Education, Recreation, Sports, and Dance (NAPHER-SD) on Tuesday, paid a courtesy visit to the Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Shehu Dikko, in Abuja.
During the visit, Dikko praised NAPHER-SD’s alignment with the NSC’s mission and vission, acknowledging its potential contributions to the Nigerian sports ecosystem.
“Your postulations to us are apt and captures almost the vission and objectives of the NSC and what we aim to drive,” he said, adding that the association’s work “demonstrates the strategic importance of what NAPHER can offer the sports ecosystem.”
Dikko extended his appreciation to NAPHER-SD for its dedication and also acknowledged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s focused commitment to advancing sports in Nigeria.
He highlighted the potential for sports to stimulate growth across various sectors such as hospitality, transportation, footwear, textile, sports asset utilization, sports education, events and entertainment, tourism, security and productivity, broadcast and media, sports weekend economy, retail and manufacturing etc
“This administration has a clear mandate of where we want to be,” he stated. “We want to not only develop sports but also create an economic impact that fosters a value chain that is beneficial to our people and the nation.”
Dikko also reiterated the importance of bringing skilled professionals into the commission to enhance the sports ecosystem and committed to improving sports financing and development through the creation of a National Sports Development Fund.
NAPHER-SD President, Professor Florence Bola Adeyanju, expressed the association’s readiness to support the NSC and contribute to the success of the administration. She highlighted NAPHER-SD’s expertise in areas such as sports outreach programs, sports education, research and evaluation, policy development, and review as valuable assets for advancing sports in Nigeria.
Professor Adeyanju further urged the commission to ensure that professionals are appointed to various departments within the NSC and emphasized the importance of continuous training and retraining of officers and technical staff to keep the commission effective and dynamic.
