Shaibu seeks NFF collaboration to bridge two-million coaching gaps
National Institute for Sports Director General Philip Shaibu has unveiled a two-year plan to address a two-million coaching deficit in Nigerian sport, visiting the NFF secretariat on Monday to solicit
National Institute for Sports Director General Philip Shaibu has unveiled a two-year plan to address a two-million coaching deficit in Nigerian sport, visiting the NFF secretariat on Monday to solicit the federation's support in what he described as a mission that could transform the country's coaching sector.
Shaibu, who also extended condolences on the passing of former NFA chairman Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima, said the figure was not arbitrary but the product of rigorous research. "A meticulous study provided us with this number. If we can accomplish this as planned, it will be a complete turn-around for the coaching sector in our sports," he said.
He disclosed that of 232 students recently matriculated by the NIS, 117 — over 50 per cent — are football coaches, a statistic he said spoke to the country's sporting identity. "This further underlines the fact that ours is a football nation," Shaibu said.
The NIS DG was candid about the institute's past, stating it had not been alive to its purpose prior to his arrival and questioning how funds allocated to it in previous years had been used. Pledging to move beyond rhetoric, he said the NIS would be modelled after the German Institute for Sports Science and the Australian Institute of Sports.
On institutional growth, Shaibu said the NIS is working with the National Universities Commission to introduce degree programmes, having already established zonal offices in Yola, Kaduna, Jos, Enugu and Abeokuta, with a Benin City office in the pipeline. The institute currently runs basic certificate and advanced diploma courses.
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NFF President Ibrahim Musa Gusau paid tribute to the late Galadima, describing him as a mentor to many in Nigerian sports leadership today.
"He was a man of dignity, diligence and integrity, and a lover of excellence as well. We will all miss him," Gusau said.
On the collaboration sought by Shaibu, Gusau pledged full backing, noting that the NFF had taken coach development to heart since inception — organising a CAF C-Licence course for 30 women coaches, with a B-Licence programme to follow, and actively pursuing CAF approval for an A-Licence course.
"We will be ready to cooperate with, and collaborate with the NIS, for all your great targets and objectives," Gusau said, also advising the NIS to engage Ministers and State Commissioners for Education for broader support.
NFF General Secretary Dr Mohammed Sanusi, a certified FIFA and CAF coaching instructor, rounded off proceedings by recommending the NIS incorporate a diploma in sports administration into its curriculum.
Also present were NFF 1st Vice President Chief Felix Anyansi-Agwu and directors Dr. Ademola Olajire, Ruth David, Rajan Zaka, Alizor Chuks and Barnabas Joro, alongside NIS officials including Dr Maryam Nasko, Komolafe Sanjo, Jubril Yusuf and Dr Remu Majoroh.
