Tinubu appoints Shehu Dikko as NSC chair after scrapping sports ministry

President Bola Tinubu has appointed Shehu Dikko as the chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC).

The NSC is responsible for regulating sports in Nigeria. Alhassan Yakmut served as the last director-general before it was scrapped by the Muhammadu Buhari government in 2015.

The presidency announced Dikko’s appointment on Wednesday after scrapping the ministry of sports development. The sports ministry’s functions were also transferred to the NSC.

John Owan Enoh, the previous minister of sports development, was also reassigned as minister of state for trade and investment.

Dikko is a football administrator who served in different sporting capabilities. He was the chairman of League Management Company (LMC) from 2014 to 2022.

He also served as the 2nd vice-president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). He is a member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) organisation committee for inter-club competitions and club licensing management. He is also a member of FIFA football stakeholders committee.

‘THE RIGHT MAN FOR THE JOB’

Amaju Pinnick, a former NFF president, praised Dikko’s appointment while expressing confidence in his ability to “turn around our sports for the better”.

“Shehu Dikko personified productivity and creativity, and every good thing we accomplished in those years had his hand in it,” Pinnick said in a statement.

“He is tireless and selfless, and has acquired immense knowledge and experience in the sports industry over the past 30 years.

“I have no doubt that he’s the man to turn around our sports for the better and guarantee our athletes podium performance at the next Olympics in Los Angeles.

“Dikko is highly under-rated but I see him picking the best brains in the land to work with him and set a template for the kind of sports industry that we have always wanted – one that will ultimately benefit all stakeholders and start to contribute significantly to the country’s Gross Domestic Product.”