Editorial: NSC’s Diaspora Gamble Ignores Nigeria’s Sporting Realities
The National Sports Commission’s recent appointment of Tunde Adelakun to head a Diaspora Talents Discovery Committee is being sold as a bold step toward podium success.
In truth, it is another ill-advised move that reflects a troubling obsession with quick fixes rather than genuine sports development at home.
The idea of scouring the diaspora for athletes may bring medals, but it adds no value to Nigeria’s economy. Monies earned abroad are spent abroad, meaning they cannot contribute to GDP growth, boost employment, or stimulate local industries. This is a fight for prestige, not progress.
More than a year after the new NSC leadership took office, Nigeria still lacks a proper stadium capable of hosting major international events. Instead of prioritizing infrastructure, the commission has chosen to chase foreign talent. This neglect undermines the very foundation of sports development.
Equally disturbing is the abandonment of distance running, a discipline that could do more than win medals. Properly developed, it could engage thousands of young Nigerians, offering them opportunities that reduce poverty, combat unemployment, and even help channel energies away from banditry and terrorism. Yet, this potential remains ignored.
Capacity building for coaches and officials has also been sidelined. Rather than strengthening technical expertise at home, the NSC has reduced itself to bidding for international, continental, and regional competitions, chasing prestige while leaving the domestic sporting ecosystem starved of growth.
Worse still, the commission is increasingly accused of usurping the responsibilities of the various sporting federations. These federations are mandated to develop their sports, yet the NSC now performs their functions, including media and promotional roles, creating confusion and undermining the federations’ authority. This duplication of roles not only weakens governance but also erodes accountability.
Leadership at the commission itself is unclear. The Director General shares the same space with the Chairman, who is supposed to be the lead voice but has abdicated his role. This confusion only deepens the perception of a commission adrift.
Most troubling of all, no board has been formed. As presently constituted, the NSC is operating outside the very Act that established it. This is not just poor governance, it is illegality.
Sportsnow.com.ng believes Nigeria deserves better. The NSC must stop chasing medals abroad and start building the structures that matter at home: stadiums, grassroots programs, coaching pathways, empowered federations, and clear governance.
Without these, diaspora committees and ill-advised appointments will remain empty gestures, symbols of misplaced priorities in a sector crying out for real reform.
