NSC Chair, Dikko, pledges level playing field for all sports

The Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC) Malam Shehu Dikko says he will provide equal opportunities for every sport in Nigeria to develop to its full potential.

He, however, said football remains Nigeria’s number one sport and national asset with the capacity to engender the growth of other sports.

Speaking in an interview on Arise Tv over the weekend, Dikko said “I have been around for over two decades, so I know clearly what the issues are. I know clearly what the problem is. So, I know what to do to get the results.

“We are not going to be more biased to football, no. We are going to give a balanced equation to all the sports.

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“We have to give to each sport according to its comparative advantage and see that every sport is given the opportunity to grow in the way it should be. So, there will be no bias.

“We will give equal advantage, equal opportunity for all sports to do what they are supposed to do. But at the end of the day, we must have it at the back of our mind that even in sports there are classifications.

Dikko, therefore, reiterated that football can’t be denied its number one position as he said Nigeria as a country is highly rated in world football.

“Every sport has its own advantage, its own catchment area, its own kind of fans and stuff like that. If you look at football in Nigeria, football is our national asset.

“I think there is a report that says Nigeria as a country has the highest football engagement in the world.

“So basically, we have to even use the passion we have for football to drag other sports along so that every sport will have equal opportunity to develop and to do what they are supposed to do within their own ecosystem.”

The NSC Chairman emphasised that “Basically, I am for all sports. I am for the total development of the sporting ecosystem. We are not going to leave any behind.

“Every sport will get what it deserves in the way it should be done. So, I think the experience we have in the football sector will help to jump start this process.”