By Aderonke Ojo
Nigeria’s ambition to become a major hub for international sports received a significant boost on Friday as the President of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA), Mustafa Berraf, pledged stronger sporting collaborations with the country during a visit to the National Sports Commission (NSC) headquarters in Abuja.
Berraf commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Federal Government for hosting the ANOCA headquarters in Abuja and supporting reforms aimed at repositioning Nigerian sports.
Speaking during the visit, the ANOCA President praised Nigeria for accepting to host the 2027 African Schools Sports Games, describing the country as a strategic partner in the development of sports across the continent.
“We want to express our sincere gratitude to the government of Nigeria for building and handing over the ANOCA headquarters at no cost to us.
“ With our headquarters here, we are Nigerians by extension. We are part of you and will not hesitate to enter any sporting collaboration with you,” Berraf said.
He also lauded the Chairman of the NSC, Mallam Shehu Dikko, for what he described as a “sporting revolution” in Nigeria.
“We have been following closely the sporting developments in Nigeria and I must congratulate my friend, the NSC Chairman, for all he is doing for sports in Nigeria and Africa as a whole. What is happening here is positively impacting the entire African continent,” he added.
Berraf disclosed that ANOCA was considering Nigeria as host for the next African Athletes Forum, noting that discussions had already commenced with the NSC leadership.
“We are happy that together with Nigeria we will host the African Schools Sports Games. We are also planning to host the next African Athletes Forum in Nigeria. You can bank on our support in bidding to host any international sporting event,” he stated.
The ANOCA boss further applauded the cordial relationship between the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) and the Federal Government, describing it as a model worthy of emulation across Africa.
“We are very satisfied with the good rapport between the NOC and the government. This is a model for other African countries on how to work together for sports development,” he said.
Responding, NSC Chairman Shehu Dikko conveyed President Tinubu’s goodwill to the delegation and reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to sports development and international collaboration.
According to Dikko, the President would have personally received the ANOCA delegation but was away in Rwanda.
“Under President Tinubu, sports has been reset in Nigeria. The sector now contributes over one per cent to the nation’s GDP every quarter. Last year alone, Nigeria participated in over 60 international competitions and won more than 373 medals across different sports,” Dikko said.
He revealed that the Federal Government had approved a Sports Infrastructure Development Bond aimed at upgrading facilities nationwide to strengthen Nigeria’s bid to host major international tournaments.
Dikko also highlighted the administration’s commitment to clean sports, noting that President Tinubu recently signed the Anti-Doping Act into law after over two decades of delay.
“The President has also approved the board and executive management of the Nigeria Anti-Doping Agency. We are determined to do sports the right way,” he added.
Earlier, President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee and ANOCA Treasurer-General, Engr. Habu Gumel, expressed appreciation to the Federal Government for its continued support to ANOCA and sports development in Africa.
The ANOCA delegation comprised Mustapha Berraf, ANOCA President, IOC Member, ANOC Vice-President; Alfred Foloko, President Zambia Olympic committee, Vice-Président African Judo Confederation, ANOCA 3rd VP; Ahmed Hashim,
others are President Sudan Olympic Committee, ANOCA Secretary General; Habu Ahmed Gumel, President Nigeria Olympic Committee, ANOCA Treasurer General, Hon. IOC Member, ANOC Executive Council Member; Gaby Ahrens, Chair Athletes Commission; Tegla Loroupe, Chair Refugee Athletes Foundation; Paul Tergat, Member ANOCA Athletes Commission, IOC Member and Moncef Zemmouchi, Adviser to the President of ANOCA.
