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With ten days to go before the National Grassroots Sports Development Summit 2026, attention is turning to the role of state governments in shaping Nigeria’s sporting future.
A major highlight of the November 18–19 summit at the Banquet Hall, State House, Presidential Villa, Abuja, will be the Governors’ Round Table, themed “Sub-National Leadership in Grassroots Sports Implementation.”
Twelve state governors will take part in discussions aimed at moving grassroots sports development beyond policy declarations into practical implementation in communities.
The governors proposed for the session are AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq (Kwara), Hope Uzodimma (Imo), Douye Diri (Bayelsa), Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa), Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo) and Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos).
Others are Babagana Zulum (Borno), Hyacinth Alia (Benue), Alex Otti (Abia), Peter Mbah (Enugu), Monday Okpebholo (Edo) and Uba Sani (Kaduna).
The initiative recognises that sustainable sporting excellence cannot be achieved through federal interventions alone, particularly when thousands of talented youngsters depend on facilities, competitions and development opportunities within their states.
According to the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Grassroots Sports Development, Hon. Adeyinka Anthony Adeboye, state governments remain indispensable partners in building an effective national talent-development structure.
The round table will examine school sports revival, community infrastructure, funding mechanisms, public-private partnerships and stronger collaboration between state and local governments. It will also explore how states can set up measurable sporting development programmes that survive changes in political leadership.
The summit, themed “Creating a New Pathway for Sustainable Grassroots Sports Development,” is designed to produce actionable recommendations for expanding sporting opportunities across Nigeria’s 774 local government areas. The Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) is the technical partner.
As preparations intensify, organisers believe the Governors’ Round Table could provide the political commitment needed to turn national sporting ambitions into visible opportunities for young Nigerians.
The message from the summit is clear: the next generation of Nigerian champions will emerge from communities, but their opportunities must be built through deliberate leadership and investment.
