By Ben Efe 2.3.2026
The National Sports Commission Elite and Podium Performance Board has been urged to refocus its agenda on grassroots development rather than work around already establish athletes.
In February 2025 the NSC headed by Shehu Dikki inaugurated the Elite Athletes Development & Podium Board led by former African long jump champion Yusuf Alli, it also has Mary Onyali a former African sprint champion and twice Olympic bronze medalist on the list of 13-member committee.
According to the NSC their mandate includes establish a sustainable system for elite athlete welfare, training, and consistent international success, but former national and African triple jump champion and now coach, Olu Sule said the board is way off the track.
He urged the members to refocus their energy on grassroots development of athletes, rather than calculating, which international competition to attend and how much training grants that would be paid to elite athletes.
“The elite and podium performance board made up of well-established ex-internationals is not working the way it should,” Olu Sule said in a chat.
“Rather than focus on grassroots development of athletes, they revolve around already established track and field athletes. The question is are they supposed to be planning for short term or long-term development?
“It is only long-term planning that will guarantee us good results and podium performances.”
Olu Sule pointed out that all the Nigerian athletes currently in their prime and those arriving on the scene were products of grassroots competitions and coaching.
“The Tobi Amusan and others we are pinning our hopes on were product of grassroots develoment. You would want to ask, where was Amusan ten years ago, before she rose through the ranks and broke a world record.
“The NSC and the federation should be on the same page scanning the whole country for young talents, we have coaches in this country who can produce world class runners and jumpers.”
He added that all the states of the federation should wake up to their responsibility of providing facilities and the platforms for grassroots athletes to exhibit their athletics prowess.
“We need to encourage every State of the federation to have a nusery of athletics talents and then of course we can have an U15 championships where these talents can compete and those with potentials listed and trained to world stands.
“But we are not working towards that direction when in fact the country is never lacking in talents.
“There has to be a programme that will harness the potentials of these youth talents and that is where the elite and podium board should focus on so that in the near future we can have a pool of athletes, rather than us pinning all our expections on a few athletes.”