Tinubu Endorses National Grassroots Sports Development Summit

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Grassroots Sports Development, Adeyinka Anthony Adeyinka, has announced the forthcoming National Grassroots Sports Development Summit, an initiative of his office designed to create a new and sustainable pathway for grassroots sports development in Nigeria.

The Summit, scheduled to take place at the Banquet Hall, State House, Presidential Villa, Abuja, will bring together key stakeholders across the Nigerian sports ecosystem to critically examine the challenges confronting grassroots sports and develop practical solutions for the discovery, development and retention of young sporting talents.

The Summit, with the theme “Creating a New Pathway for Sustainable Grassroots Sports Development,” has received the endorsement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, who has formally endorsed the initiative and called on stakeholders and relevant institutions to give it their full support.

Speaking on the significance of the Summit, Adeboye described the Presidential endorsement as a major boost to the grassroots sports agenda and a clear indication of President Tinubu’s commitment to using sports as a vehicle for youth development, empowerment, social inclusion and national transformation.

“The President’s endorsement of this Summit is a powerful statement about the importance his administration attaches to grassroots sports. Mr. President has not only endorsed this initiative; he has also called on all stakeholders to give it their full support. That gives us a clear mandate to bring everybody to the table and begin to build the system our young athletes deserve.”

Adeboye said the Summit is coming at a critical time when Nigeria must move beyond discovering talents by chance and establish a structured pathway that takes young athletes from the community and school level through development, competition and ultimately to elite and international sport.

According to him, Nigeria possesses enormous sporting talent across its 774 local government areas, but the country has not always had the structures required to identify, nurture and retain those talents.

“Our young people are not lacking talent. What has been missing in many cases is a sustainable pathway. We need to know where the next generation of athletes will be discovered, where they will train, who will coach them, how they will compete and how they will transition into elite sport.”

The Summit will feature two major keynote sessions focusing on the challenges and opportunities within Nigeria’s grassroots sports ecosystem.

The first keynote, titled “Grassroots Sports Development in Nigeria: Challenges and Way Forward,” will examine the structural challenges affecting talent identification and development while exploring practical approaches to building a stronger grassroots sports system.

The second keynote, titled “The Game Changer: How Sports Rescues Youth and Builds Nations,” will focus on the wider social and developmental power of sport, particularly its ability to engage young people, create opportunities, promote discipline and contribute to nation-building.

The SSA said the choice of the second theme reflects the broader vision of the President Tinubu administration, which sees sports not merely as entertainment or competition but as an important instrument for youth empowerment, economic opportunity, social development and national unity.

“Sports can rescue a young person from hopelessness. It can give a child purpose, discipline, education, employment and a sense of belonging. When we invest in grassroots sports, we are not simply looking for the next champion; we are investing in the future of Nigeria.”

Adeboye stressed that the Summit will not be another gathering where stakeholders simply identify problems without solutions. He said the objective is to generate actionable recommendations capable of influencing policy and creating a more coordinated grassroots sports development framework.

He called for participation from state governments, local governments, sports federations, schools, clubs, academies, coaches, former athletes, private-sector organisations, traditional institutions, civil society organisations, sports administrators and development partners.

The Presidential aide also said the Summit would complement the ongoing reforms within the sports sector under the re-established National Sports Commission, particularly efforts to strengthen talent identification and create clearer pathways from grassroots participation to elite performance.

“This is bigger than one office. It is bigger than one administration and bigger than one competition. We are talking about the future of Nigerian sports and the future of our young people. That is why everybody must come together.”

Adeboye expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for his confidence in the grassroots sports agenda and for providing the necessary political support for the Summit.

He said the Presidential endorsement has provided an opportunity to place grassroots sports development firmly within the national conversation and ensure that the country begins to treat grassroots sport as a structured development system rather than an occasional activity.

“We are grateful to Mr. President for believing in this vision and for putting his weight behind it. His signature and endorsement have given this Summit a national significance, and we must all rise to the occasion.”

He urged stakeholders to approach the Summit with an open mind and a willingness to contribute ideas that can produce lasting change.

“The time has come to stop asking where Nigeria’s next generation of champions will come from. We know where they are — they are in our communities, our schools and our grassroots competitions. Our responsibility now is to create the pathway that will take them from there to the world.”

The National Grassroots Sports Development Summit is expected to become a major platform for dialogue, policy direction and collaboration towards establishing a more sustainable grassroots sports architecture for Nigeria.