NSC Chairman Pledges Nigeria’s Support to Rugby League
Abuja (Core Reporters) The Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Mallam Shehu Dikko, has assured the Australian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Her Excellency Leilani Bin-Juda (PSM), of the commission’s support for the game of Rugby in Nigeria. He stated that Rugby League has the potential to advance the sport’s economy and unleash talents that would boost the nation’s quest to be a global sports talent market.
The Australian High Commissioner was in the company of a delegation of the Rugby League on a mission to invest in Rugby League development in Africa, with Nigeria as the hub. Dikko said, “We are here to provide the enablers and opportunities for every sport to thrive within the context of its comparative advantage. We have clearly identified the Rugby League as one sport with huge potential to drive mass participation across the entire grassroots and ecosystem of sports in this country.”
Dikko expressed the commission’s commitment to collaborating with the promoters of the Rugby League in Nigeria to take the sport to the next level. “We believe we can harvest a lot of talents in rugby that can be developed to win laurels and equally be in a position to play in any league in the world,” he added.
The NSC Chairman also highlighted the commission’s efforts to revive school sports in Nigeria in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Education. “We will see how we can inculcate the sport at the grassroots level at a very young age from the schools. This way, the Rugby League will be built in the hearts and minds of our youths.”
Dikko reiterated the Commission’s commitment to aggressive talent development across all sports through international sporting tournaments. “We are for every sport. This year alone, so far we have supported and enabled over 47 sports to international tournaments, and only three came back without winning anything. This is a clear validation that something is happening right and a pathway to develop our sports and sporting talents.”
The NSC Chairman advocated for sporting collaborations between Nigeria and Australia, stating, “Australia is number one in the rugby league. We will be glad to work with the Australian High Commission to forge sporting collaborations between both countries. There’s a lot we can do together through sports, and to this end, we will set up a working group to ensure we quickly activate this potential on a win-win basis for both parties.”
Earlier, the Australian High Commissioner echoed the immense benefits of a sporting collaboration with Nigeria. “Australia is a sports-loving country, and Rugby League is dominating. We would like to collaborate with Nigeria in sports generally and Rugby League in particular. Sports is a tool for social inclusion and re-engineering, and we would like to tap into all available opportunities to deepen diplomatic relations with Nigeria.”
The General Manager of Nigeria Rugby League, Isah Saulawa, highlighted the importance of enhancing Nigeria and Australian relations through the Rugby League. “Rugby League is the largest sport in Australia. In our strategic plan, we aim to bridge the gap of diplomacy through sports. We, as the governing body of Rugby League in Nigeria, would like to bring the hands of both governments together in a handshake.”
