The Federal Government has launched an ambitious plan to fully integrate sports into Nigeria’s education system, declaring a new national philosophy: “Sports is Education, Education is Sports.”
The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa, CON, made the announcement in Abuja while inaugurating a 20-member National Sports–Education Review Committee. The committee’s mandate is to transform Nigeria’s sports landscape by nurturing talent from grassroots to elite levels, drawing inspiration from global models in Brazil and Argentina.
Highlighting the country’s paradox of over 16 million youths engaging in sports betting without a thriving sports economy, Dr. Alausa revealed that a Sports Development Fund would be established to support athletes and standardise sports infrastructure and curricula nationwide.
The committee will review accredited programmes in Physical and Health Education, Sports, and Sports Science across the NUC, NBTE, NCCE, and NERDC frameworks. The review will focus on course content, teaching methodologies, and the introduction of globally relevant programmes to match international standards.
As part of the reforms, Sports Centres of Excellence will be set up in each of the six geopolitical zones:
University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN)
University of Benin (UNIBEN)
University of Ibadan (UI)
University of Jos (UNIJOS)
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (ABU)
Muhammadu Buhari University, Maiduguri
Additional centres will be located at Federal Polytechnic, Offa and Federal College of Education, Okene, with ₦3.5 million per centre allocated in the 2025 budget.
Stakeholders such as Mr. Usman Ejeh, Prof. Adamu Ahmad, Dr. Ibrahim Mosimabale, Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu, Dr. Kweku Tandoh, and Mojoyin Adebajo hailed the reforms as both timely and strategic, capable of building a robust sports economy and producing world-class athletes.
The Ministry pledged sustained funding, strategic partnerships, and continuous policy reforms aimed at producing graduates who are academically sound, physically fit, and globally competitive.
