Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) president Tonobok Okowa said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu reinstituting the National Sports Commission was the best thing that has happened to Nigerian sports this year.
Okowa praised President Tinubu for taking the bold step of scrapping the Sports Ministry, saying in a press statement made available to the media Thursday that the NSC is an all-purpose vehicle to drive the development and growth of Sports in the country. He also hailed the appointment of Mr. Shehu Dikko a former executive chairman of the Nigeria Premier Professional League and vice president of the Nigeria Football Federation.
“My President, the sporting fraternity in Nigeria and the rest of the world will forever remember this bold statement you have made with the National Sports Commission for good, and Nigeria sport with surely flourish in leaps and bounds in the years to come,” Chief Okowa said.
“The President means well for the youths of this great country, that explains why he brought back the NSC and appointed a sports technocrat to add some fillips to sports. Youths are the backbone of any economy and President Tinubu is doing just that with this move,” the Delta State born Vice President of Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) stressed.
“Shehu Dikko a consummate Sports administrator’s appointment is a round peg in a round hole and it’s befitting. Dikko will bring some fresh thinking and drive into sports development in Nigeria. His vast knowledge and experience will help put Nigeria sports back on track,” the former chairman of Delta State Sports Commission stated.
“His wealth of knowledge, vast experience in administration coupled with your marketing expertise will go a long way in driving sport-the all-purpose vehicle for nation building.” He added.
“On behalf of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and the athletics family in the country and beyond, I heartily rejoice with the astute administrator who is also a marketing expert, Mallam Shehu Dikko on this appointment and I believe you have the knowledge, understanding and experience to make the National Sports Commission work and sport in Nigeria blossom.
Dikko served as chairman of various committees in the NFF, including marketing and sponsorship. He was a member of the CAF Inter-Clubs Committee. And still a member of the FIFA Football Stakeholders Committee.
On Wednesday, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, named Dikko, the former Chairman of the Nigeria Professional Football League as Chairman of the re-introduced National Sports Commission, after the scrapping of the Federal Ministry of Sports Development.
“We will get it right with the National Sports Commission under the stewardship of Mallam Shehu Dikko, and we at the AFN and CAA Zone II are ready and willing to support this laudable initiative aimed at shaping a sporting landscape,” Chief Tonobok Okowa concluded.
The National Sports Commission was dissolved in 2015 by President Muhammadu Buhari and since then sports ministers with zero pedigree in sports have been appointed to mount the saddle. Sports stakeholders yearned for the return of the NSC following the dwindling sports fortune of the country over the years.
Established in 1971 the NSC was first dissolved in 1995 and re-introduced in 2007. The Commission has a rich history, dating back to 1910 with the creation of the Empire Day competition.
