By Faith Anisiobi, The Sight News
The National Sports Commission (NSC) and the Federal Ministry of Education have unveiled the National Sports and Education Excellence Programme (N-SEEP), an initiative aimed at integrating quality education with elite sports development and creating a sustainable pathway for discovering, developing and retaining Nigeria’s sporting talents.
The programme will establish Sports and Education Centres of Excellence in nine tertiary institutions, combining internationally benchmarked academic programmes with high-performance sports training and research.
Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Mallam Shehu Dikko, said N-SEEP was designed to address the longstanding challenge confronting talented young Nigerians who are often forced to choose between academic advancement and elite sporting careers.
Dikko said the initiative would create an ecosystem where young athletes could pursue sporting excellence without sacrificing their education.
“This is about creating a system where our young athletes do not have to sacrifice education to pursue sporting excellence or abandon their sporting potential in order to obtain an education,” he said.
He noted that Nigeria’s performances at the recently concluded Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games had demonstrated the depth of sporting talent in the country, stressing the need to establish structures capable of producing sustained success at major international competitions.
According to him, discussions are also ongoing with international football governing bodies, including FIFA and CAF, to secure global accreditation and recognition for relevant Nigerian sports education programmes.
Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, described N-SEEP as part of the transformative reforms being implemented under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Alausa said the initiative would enable Nigerian sporting talents to train and develop within the country while earning internationally recognized qualifications.
“The future of sports lies not only in winning competitions, but in developing people through quality education,” the minister said.
He explained that the programme would produce not only athletes but also coaches, sports scientists, physiotherapists, administrators, entrepreneurs, researchers and innovators needed to drive the sports industry.
The nine institutions selected to host the National Sports and Education Centres of Excellence are the University of Ibadan, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Federal College of Education, Okene, Babcock University, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, University of Benin, University of Jos, Muhammad Buhari University, Maiduguri, and Federal Polytechnic, Offa.
Furthermore, the Director-General of the NSC, Hon. Bukola Olopade, said N-SEEP represented a deliberate shift from measuring Nigeria’s sports development solely by medals won at international competitions.
Olopade said the programme would establish a sustainable pipeline of athletes, coaches, sports scientists, educators, administrators and other professionals required to support a modern sports economy.
“This is bigger than medals. We are building the human capital and institutional framework required for sustainable sporting excellence,” he said.
He added that athletes needed world-class coaches, scientists, medical professionals, administrators and researchers around them, noting that N-SEEP would provide an opportunity to develop the entire sports ecosystem within Nigeria.
Phase One of the programme will commence in the 2026/2027 academic session at four pioneer institutions: the University of Ibadan, Ahmadu Bello University, Federal College of Education, Okene, and Babcock University.
The programme is expected to expand to the remaining five institutions in subsequent phases.
Participating institutions will develop specialized sports faculties and programmes covering coaching, sports medicine, sports science, sports technology and data analytics, sports business, facility management, event management and sports administration.
For her part, the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, called for greater flexibility within participating institutions to accommodate the unique demands of student-athletes, including flexible academic calendars and stronger collaboration among faculties.
The centres are also expected to combine academic instruction with high-performance training facilities and modern research infrastructure, creating an environment capable of producing elite athletes and the professionals needed to sustain Nigeria’s sports industry.
Beyond elite competition, the programme is expected to expand opportunities for young Nigerians, strengthen the country’s sports workforce, promote discipline and teamwork, support youth development, and contribute to economic growth and national cohesion through sports.
Alausa commended Dikko, Olopade, members of the programme’s technical committee and other stakeholders for their collaboration in developing the initiative.
