Shaibu vows to reform NIS, address ‘deep-rooted flaws’ responsible for sports woes

The Director Total of the Nigerian Institute of Sports activities (NIS), Comrade Philip Shaibu, has promised to completely reform the institute having encountered the deep-rooted flaws which may perchance well possibly perchance be hindering the nation’s sports style efforts.
Fielding questions in an M4Stv interview the day gone by, Shaibu cited two inside most negative experiences with the NIS, collectively with person that disqualified Edo Queens’ coach from sitting on the bench for the length of the CAF Females’s Champions League in Morocco.
The primitive Edo Pronounce deputy governor, stated: “I turned into as soon as the kind of Nigerians who felt nothing turned into as soon as occurring on the NIS. Conception to be one of many negative experiences turned into as soon as when Edo Queens certified for the CAF Champions League in 2024 and I saw our coach, Moses Aduku, sitting within the stands. I requested why, and he told me he wasn’t allowed on the bench because his NIS certificate wasn’t recognised.”
CAF laws stipulate that coaches must meet particular licensing necessities to sit down down down on the bench for the length of interclub competitions much like the CAF Champions League or Confederation Cup. Head coaches are required to withhold a CAF ‘A’ License or a legit PRO License from a sister confederation (e.g., UEFA, AFC), while assistant coaches must contain a CAF ‘B’ License.
Shaibu described the incident as a warning sign and a image of the broader credibility crisis dealing with the institute. He likened the NIS to the engine room of Nigeria’s sports ecosystem—person that desire to be properly serviced to beget at an optimal level.
“It’s fancy a automobile with out an engine. The engine is the NIS. We can't protect going into world competitions fancy the African Video games, Commonwealth Video games, and the Olympics and return empty-handed,” he stated.
He emphasised that the NIS must fulfill its statutory position of producing world-class coaches with globally recognised certifications. “We've to align with world federations and adopt their coaching methodologies so as that our graduates can qualify for the ideal-level certifications,” he added.
Shaibu additionally expressed optimism about the manner ahead for the institute, highlighting the importance of collaboration and planning.
“My passion is to manufacture issues work, and by the grace of God, the non-public sector and authorities having a handshake to this point as funding and gives a snatch to is anxious, the NIS will be abet to its proper challenges of fixing Nigerian sports on the management cadre,” he stated.
“Funding is important, however what's extra important is a blueprint—a strategic thought—and that's the explanation what we are engaged on now. It is that this strategic thought that will entice funding. And we are going to be rebranding the Institute,” he affirmed.