A bold declaration has come forth that the issues of football development and abandoned sports structures across the country will be faced squarely by the federal government in the unfolding year 2026.
This assurance was provided in an exclusive interview with Sports247 by the national secretary of All Progressive Congress (APC), Senator Surajudeen Ajibola Basiru, who promised to give President Bola Tinubu details of the current state of Nigeria’s sports infrastructure.
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Senator Basiru, who is currently in Morocco as part of a high-powered delegation from the APC to support the Super Eagles’ aspirations at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, admitted that more has to be done in using sports as a global image boosting brand for Nigeria.
He began by calling on individuals, corporate bodies, industries and government agencies to join in the process of floating football academies across the nation.
“We need to invest in football academies and get young talents that can be discovered. We have to groom them to play at the international level, in order to boost the confidence of Nigerian football fans.
“They want the opportunity to see their players perform well. So, we have a lot to do in terms of sports development … not only football, but also for rugby, golf, basketball, athletics and tennis.
“All of them and many others need to be well developed. We need to put in more effort, particularly in the development of talents.
“We know that this engagement will bring out the best of our youth in creative and lucrative manners,” the APC’s scribe reasoned.
He continued with a promise to intimate President Tinubu with pressing issues currently affecting sports in Nigeria, especially regarding abandoned federal arenas in Lagos, Ibadan, Bauchi, Kaduna and other once vibrant venues across the nation.
Basiru pointed out, “As the national secretary of the ruling party, I have unfettered access to Mr President. So, I will put across to him the feelings of Nigerians regarding sports development and infrastructure in the country.
“I believe Mr. President will address the issue of renovation for our very important stadia that have been virtually abandoned across the country.
“I think it started with some national monuments that were left to rot by previous administrations. However, we have seen the recent renovation of the National Theatre in Iganmu.
“I believe that the same will also happen to all national sports structures across the federation. The president will work on them as part of the sports agenda of his administration,” Basiru assured.
