By Obaloluwa Joshua, LAGOS
The newly appointed Director General of the National Institute for Sports Comrade Philip Shaibu has promised a total rebranding of the institute, Prompt News reports.
Shaibu formally takes charge of the famous institute on Monday.
The immediate past deputy governor of Edo State took a facility tour of the institute before the official handing over ceremony.
Shaibu said that Nigeria will return to winning ways in international competitions, including the All Africa Games, Commonwealth Games, and the Olympics if the NIS begins to fulfill its mandate.
“The quality of your coaches and managers will determine what you can do at the Olympics. The mandate given to me is total reform of the NIS, and I am grateful to President Bola Tinubu for his great vision for Nigerian sports. Nigeria cannot be a giant of Africa for nothing,” he told reporters at the NIS secretariat.
*We no longer find ourselves on the medals table at the Olympics and this is not good for our nation. We are not initiating a new vision, but coming to actualise the vision of Mr President for our sports.
“To get that done, we need a total overhaul of the NIS. A lot of work needs to be done, but when you have the will, things will work. What I will do differently is to supervise everybody. I will meet with the students, staff, non-academic staff, and stakeholders on how best to reposition the NIS.”
He added: “The NIS is the engine room of Nigeria’s sports.If the NIS is sleeping, Nigeria’s sports is sleeping, and that is why our sports has not been moving forward.”
Shaibu visited netball court, boxing gym, handball court, NIS hostel under construction, two gymnasiums, where he tested some of the equipment, male and female sauna (massage room), classrooms, various laboratories, and the Exams and Records Centre, among others during the tour.
The NIS was established in 1974 to improve Nigeria’s performance in international sporting competitions.
