The Federal Government is exploring plans to integrate training programmes of the National Institute for Sports (NIS) into its Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) initiative to expand employment opportunities for young Nigerians and strengthen the country’s sports industry.
The Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, disclosed this during a meeting with the Director-General of the NIS, Comrade Philip Shaibu, where both officials discussed strategies for strengthening collaboration between the education and sports sectors.
In a statement by the Special Adviser to the minister on Media and Communications, Ikharo Attah, Alausa
said the proposed integration would enable young Nigerians to acquire practical skills in sports coaching, facility management, groundskeeping and other specialised areas, potentially opening up new employment opportunities within the country’s growing sports industry.
He identified basic training, coaching and sports facility maintenance as key areas that could be incorporated into the national TVET programme, subject to the necessary approvals and implementation arrangements.
According to the Minister, the NIS could leverage its training centres across eight states to deliver relevant programmes, including courses lasting up to six months, depending on the nature of the training.
He stressed that investments in sports infrastructure must be accompanied by the development of a skilled workforce capable of maintaining facilities to international standards.
Alausa noted that developing local expertise in pitch maintenance, groundskeeping and games instruction would create employment opportunities while reducing Nigeria’s dependence on foreign professionals for specialised sports facility management.
The Minister also disclosed that the national TVET programme had recorded more than 250,000 trainees trained or graduated through approximately 1,200 centres within the preceding 12 to 18 months.
He added that about 98 per cent of the centres were privately operated, while participants received a monthly stipend of ₦30,000.
Earlier, Shaibu commended the Federal Ministry of Education for its reforms and renewed emphasis on technical and vocational skills development, stressing the need to integrate sports more effectively into Nigeria’s educational system.
Drawing from his experience as former Deputy Governor of Edo State, the NIS Director-General recalled an initiative that allocated five per cent of the 30 per cent continuous assessment score in primary and secondary schools to sports.
He, however, identified the shortage of qualified games masters and certified coaches as a major obstacle to grassroots sports development.
Shaibu further disclosed that the Institute had expanded its operations across the six geopolitical zones and graduated more than 1,000 coaches within one year.
He said the NIS was implementing its 2025–2035 strategic plan aimed at improving institutional sustainability, strengthening professional coaching and reducing dependence on government funding.
The plan also includes efforts to revive coaching, fitness and executive certificate programmes, train groundsmen, improve coach certification and establish career pathways for retiring athletes.
The NIS Director-General appealed for the Institute’s basic training programmes to be accommodated under the TVET initiative, alongside increased institutional support to expand its training capacity and financial sustainability.
Alausa reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to collaborating with the NIS and the National Sports Commission to strengthen the relationship between education, vocational training and sports development.
He said the initiative was part of efforts to equip young Nigerians with industry-relevant skills, build local capacity and create sustainable employment opportunities in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
