...Hail exceptional Team Nigeria Scrabble feat in the World
By Oluwatobiloba Zeal-Adepetu Kumoye who was at the Big Sports Dialogue 1.0 in Lagos
When the Big Sports Dialogue 1.0 wrapped up on Monday at Villa Angelia Hotel — hall packed, administrators on their feet — one man towered over the rest — Honourable, Bukola Olopade, Director-General of National Sports Commission (NSC), his words echoed like a rallying cry.
With steely confidence and unshakeable resolve, Olopade declared that Nigerian sports is finally on the right track and heading toward greatness.
Under the leadership of NSC Chairman Shehu Dikko and guided by the mandate from President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, he said, they are “rewriting the face of Nigerian sports,” aiming to set a standard across Africa.
“Well it's the first edition of the Big Sports Dialogue 1.0, I believe there were a lot of takeaways for all stakeholders present, I'm particularly glad that this event gave Mallam Shehu Dikko and I the opportunity to speak to people and to explain the length that sports in Nigeria has come, shaking and shaping up the sporting Arena.
He told the audience that many of the proposals hammered out during the Dialogue aren’t just ideas, they’re already being acted on by the NSC.
From boosting brand visibility and market value of sports to reforming federation governance, Olopade insists the wheels of the sporting chariot are turning and turning faster than expected.
“For us at the NSC, we are already in tandem with some of these suggestions, you heard when I spoke on the issue of increasing brand visibility and market value for sports, just literally speaking to the public sector on what I know to be the truth, you discovered that there was really nothing that was discussed,” he said.
Significantly, he emphasized inclusivity. Noting unacceptable past practice, federations with 14 men and one woman, Olopade revealed the NSC now guarantees at least two women seats in every federation.
This push for gender balance, he said, reflects a broader commitment to fairness and renewal.
“In terms of the media and women governance, that we are not already embracing, the NSC in order to get more women involved in federations, created and supported AFFAN to join hands with NAWIS to give women constitutionally, two seats in every federation.
“What we found when we got there was appalling, where a federation out of 15 seats, will give 14 seats to men and only a seat to a woman, and we thought at this time of inclusivity there need for us to increase, constitutionally their numbers in federations, you'll look at some federations now and you'll see 6, 7 members in a federation and I feel, that was spoken to by most of the panelists today, especially during the discussion on media and women governance.”
Looking beyond failures, like the heartbreak of missing the World Cup, he urged Nigerians to celebrate victories we rarely hear about, Nigerians outshining the world in SCRABBLE, shining at the ISLAMIC GAMES, dominating in WEIGHTLIFTING.
“Yes, we failed to make it to the FIFA world cup, but why are we not celebrating the fact that we beat USA in Scrabble at the World Scrabble Championship, we are the champions of Scrabble in the world.”
“Why are we not celebrating the successes we recorded at the Islamic Games, why are we not celebrating these, out of the 54 national teams we have sent out 49 have become African champions, and one became intercontinental champions, talking of the weightlifters.”
“Why only talk about what we lost?” he challenged, “why not celebrate what we’ve won?”
In the end, Olopade issued a call to arms, “Let’s lift Nigerian sports to heights we have never seen.”
With new energy, new policies and a clear roadmap, the NSC is betting big on rewriting Nigeria’s sports story and this time, with a happier ending.
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