The Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) FCT, has sought a strategic partnership with the National Institute for Sports (NIS) to promote grassroots sports development, talent discovery, and institutional collaboration in Nigeria.
The delegation, led by the Chairman of Chapel, Comrade Felix Ojo, paid a courtesy visit to the Director General of the institute and immediate former deputy governor of Edo state, RT. Hon. Philip Shaibu, in Abuja.
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Speaking during the visit, Ojo commended the Director General for what he described as visible transformation within the institute since assuming office.
According to him, journalists have closely followed the reforms and developmental initiatives of the institute, including the establishment of zonal programmes aimed at strengthening sports training and manpower development across the country.
“We want to commend your doggedness. Since you assumed office, the institute has been witnessing transformation and we have continued to report these developments both at the chapel and council levels,” he said.
Ojo noted that the chapel intends to support the institute not only through responsible reporting but also through direct collaboration in sports development initiatives.
He disclosed that the chapel plans to organise sporting competitions among secondary schools in the Federal Capital Territory as part of efforts to identify and nurture young talents which is part of the institute’s mandate.
According to him, the proposed programme will begin with basketball competitions and could expand to other sports in subsequent years.
“We want to collaborate with your institution in talent development. This year we are planning a basketball competition among secondary schools in the FCT and we hope to work with the institute and relevant federations to make it successful.”
”The competition would create a platform for sports federations to identify promising athletes for different age-grade tournaments.” he added.
Ojo also proposed the introduction of periodic novelty football matches between members of the NUJ Correspondents Chapel and staff of the institute to strengthen professional relationships and promote sportsmanship.
The proposed novelty match would go beyond football to include other sports such as badminton, table tennis and swimming. Such friendly competitions would strengthen collaboration between journalists and sports administrators while encouraging wider participation in sports.
Responding, the Director General of the institute, Philip Shaibu, welcomed the proposed partnership and assured the journalists of the institute’s willingness to work with the chapel in promoting sports development.
Shaibu said the institute was committed to strengthening sports institutions and improving manpower development through training, curriculum reforms and administrative restructuring.
“Our core mandate is to strengthen institutions because when institutions are strong, both the strong and the weak will be protected,” he said.
He added that the institute is implementing several reforms aimed at reviving sports training and repositioning the country for greater achievements in sports administration and talent development.
The NIS DG also reiterated plans to protect sports facilities, revealing that the institute would soon set up a task force to stop the use of national stadium facilities for political and religious activities.
According to him, such measures are necessary to preserve sporting infrastructure and ensure the facilities remain suitable for sporting activities.
He expressed optimism that collaboration between the media and sports administrators would help reposition Nigeria as a destination for sports tourism and economic development.
