By Kenneth Madaki
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Tajudeen Abbas, has commended the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the National Institute for Sports (NIS), Comrade Philip Shaibu, for the ongoing transformation of the Institute, particularly the decentralisation of its programmes to the grassroots through the establishment of zonal centres across the country.
According to a statement issued by Shaibu’s S. A. Media, Ben Ogbemudia, the commendation was conveyed to the NIS Director General by the Speaker’s Senior Special Assistant and former President of the Kaduna State Football Association, Hon Magaji Abdul Alhassan, who briefed Shaibu on the Speaker’s remarks.
Abbas, according to Alhassan, described the establishment of the North West Zonal Centre in Kaduna as a significant milestone that is bridging the gap in coaching education and strengthening sports development in the region and across Nigeria.
In further demonstration of his commitment to sports development, the Speaker announced his decision to sponsor the training of 20 coaches from Kaduna at the NIS.
He also pledged to increase the sponsorship to 25 coaches annually, ensuring sustained capacity building for coaches in the state.
Responding to the Speaker’s commendation and support, Shaibu expressed deep appreciation to Abbas for his confidence in the vision of the NIS, and his commitment to the development of sports in Nigeria.
Shaibu noted that the Speaker’s support would further encourage the Institute to expand its reach and continue delivering quality coaching education and professional development opportunities across the country.
”This support will only inspire us to do more for the National Institute for Sports and for Nigerian sports in general. We sincerely appreciate the Speaker’s commitment to sports development and his investment in building the capacity of Nigerian coaches,” the NIS Director General said.
He reaffirmed the Institute’s commitment to working with stakeholders at all levels to deepen grassroots sports development and produce highly trained coaches capable of driving Nigeria’s sporting success.