Chairman of Nigeria’s National Sports Commission (NSC), Mallam Shehu Dikko has set a target of 22 goals medals for the country’s contingent to this year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, Sports247 reports.
Dikko gave the projection while speaking at the opening ceremony of a two-day retreat organized by Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) at ANOCA House in Abuja, where he also unveiled an ambitious new roadmap for sports development.
He singled out badminton as one of Nigeria’s strongest medal prospects and hailed the federation’s leadership for its investment in athlete development, even as he declared that the era of sports bodies operating without clear targets is over.
The NSC’s boss challenged sports federations to embrace strategic planning, accountability and long-term development, as the commission has introduced performance-driven culture built on data, projections and structured programmes.
Dikko also warned federation to stop arbitrary expectations from government, as they are now expected to submit detailed strategic documents outlining talent pool, development structures and medal projections for future international competitions.
He then revealed Nigeria’s projected medal target for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and, speaking based on what he referred to as plans already submitted by federations, disclosed that the country is targeting between 18 and 22 gold.
Dikko stressed, “It is because of these strategic plans coming from the federations that we can now aggregate realistic expectations. That will be the minimum target, and then we will see if we can surpass it.
“We are no longer working in the dark. The days when government simply imposed targets on federations are gone. Federations must now present strategic plans that show what they are capable of achieving and how they intend to achieve it.”
