The Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Shehu Dikko, has announced plans to begin fixing the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja by the end of the year.
Dikko made this known during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, amid growing concerns about the state of sports infrastructure in Nigeria.
“We’ll start fixing Abuja by the end of the year, and the stadium should be running at a foundational level,” Dikko said.
He revealed that the NSC has been working with top stadium infrastructure companies to revamp the facility.
Dikko highlighted that the Federal Government has allocated a significant budget to the NSC, which he described as “the best budget for sports in 60 years.”
“If you look at the budget of the National Sports Commission, it’s up by over 300 per cent,” he said.
The NSC Chairman also disclosed that there was funding to fix other stadiums across the country and develop mini sports centers in communities nationwide.
 ”President Bola Tinubu has shown the first step. If you look at the funding given to sports, it’s not for competitions they are clearly targeted at key infrastructures,” Dikko explained.
Dikko also revealed that the Commission was working towards concessioning some major facilities, engaging international partners to ensure stadium upgrades meet global standards.
He also announced plans to build full-fledged sports cities around key venues, including Abuja, Lagos, Kaduna, and Ibadan.
The NSC chief criticised Nigeria’s narrow focus on international competitions while neglecting local development.
“The major problem with sports in this country is that we’re more focused on competitions.
”Everybody’s thinking about the Olympics or the World Cup, but nobody is asking what we’re doing in the domestic scene,” Dikko said.
Dikko emphasised the need to address the country’s poor sports broadcasting infrastructure, which he described as “the biggest missing link in our economy when it comes to producing sports content.”
He revealed that producing a single football match in Nigeria could cost N20 to N30 million due to this deficit.
The NSC Chairman announced the creation of a national e-sports federation, aimed at harnessing the digital space to tackle youth unemployment.
“We’re creating a federation for e-sports. It can employ millions and provide countless opportunities,” he stated.
Dikko praised the ongoing Gateway Games 2025, describing it as a major achievement for Nigerian sports.
He revealed plans to host more events and create dedicated sports channels on TV networks.
“This is the best festival we’ve had so far. Gateway games created wealth for small businesses, some people will be crying when the games end, ” he said.
