By Faith Anisiobi, The Sight News
Nigeria and the Federal Republic of Kosovo have commenced a bilateral sports partnership aimed at strengthening cooperation in sports development, with both countries also proposing an international friendly football match between their national teams.
The partnership was formalized in Abuja during a courtesy visit by Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister, Glauk Konjufca, to the Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Hon. Bukola Olopade, a statement by the Special Assistant on Media to the NSC Director General, Kola Daniel noted on Friday.
Speaking during the visit, Konjufca described Nigeria as one of Africa’s leading economies with enormous human, natural and capital resources, noting that stronger diplomatic and sporting ties would be mutually beneficial to both nations.
He said the Kosovo delegation had fruitful discussions with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, and considered sports a strategic area for deepening the emerging relationship between the two countries.
According to him, Kosovo is proposing an international friendly football match with Nigeria and is also ready to collaborate in capacity building in judo, a sport in which the European nation has produced several world and Olympic champions.
Responding, Olopade welcomed the initiative, describing the visit as a significant milestone in Nigeria’s efforts to expand international sporting partnerships.
He assured the Kosovo delegation of Nigeria’s readiness to collaborate across various sporting disciplines, saying the partnership aligns with the Federal Government’s vision of using sports as a driver of economic growth and diplomacy.
The NSC Director General added that, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the Commission is building a sports ecosystem that promotes economic opportunities, adding that the collaboration with Kosovo would further strengthen that objective.
