By Joseph Ebi Kanjo

Former deputy governor of Edo State and current Director General of National Institute for Sports (NIS) Comrade Philip Shaibu, has vowed to restructure and replicate what he did in Edo sports at the institute.

Shaibu, as the deputy governor of Edo State then, and who was saddled with the responsibility of overseeing sporting activities in the state, rejuvenated sporting activities by upgrading the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium to world class with modern facilities; made sure Bendel Insurance FC were promoted from the second amateur division to the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), among others.

Speaking with sports writers who visited him to congratulate him on his new appointment, the DG said, during his visit to both the Lagos and Abuja centres of the institute , he discovered that Nigeria has a lot of sporting facilities and infrastructure that can cater for the whole of Africa.

He added that because many of the infrastructure have remained unused for a long period of time, they have become non-functional and obsolete.

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Shaibu, who also mentioned that a lot of courses and programmes that ought to be run by the NIS have been abandoned and unutilised, promised to reform the NIS by bringing some new and relevant courses for coaches and athletes and expunge old and irrelevant ones.

“In the coming weeks, we are going to be restructuring the NIS in line with its mandate. There would be a lot of reforms that we are going to carry out in the coming weeks.

“We will make sure that we add to the courses in the NIS, and expunge some. We are going to upgrade the courses beyond where they are now,” he said.

He added: “Those infrastructure were built not just to produce athletes for Nigeria alone, but for Africa and the world at large.

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“I saw some equipment – brand new – but they are non-functional because they were not put into use. In fact, I saw some brand new equipment in their carton but they are not working, why? because rats and what have you destroyed them.”

The Director General, who promised to decentralise the NIS for easy access by the grassroots, noted that as a known training institute, coaches would be trained at local government level so as to eliminate a situation anyone comes on board to bear the name coach after “gathering some children.”

He added: “We’re going to be decentralising the NIS for easy access and easy reach. The mandate of the NIS when it was created 50 years ago was to have centres across the six geo-political zones in Nigeria. But we intend to go beyond the six geo-political zones because we need to go to the grassroots to deal with the issue of coaches.

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“That means we are going to be having local government training centres where we will be training those coaches with the basic knowledge they need to impact on players.”

Shaibu also promised to reactivate athletes’ hostels in the institute by making sure they are giving a phase lift and ensure only athletes are permitted to stay in the hotels. He added that the hotels are not for non- athletes accommodation either through payment of rent or any means.

Earlier, Chairman, Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, Edo State chapter, Kehinde Osaigede, who was flanked by other executives, while congratulating Shaibu for his appointment, expressed optimism that he would take the institute to an enviable level.

Nigeria’s Super Falcons, aiming for a 10th continental gong at the 13th Women Africa Cup of Nations taking place in Morocco next month, will take on the senior women national team of Portugal in a friendly match in Lisbon on Monday.

The Falcons’ contingent flew out of the Federal Capital, Abuja to Casablanca on Sunday morning aboard a Royal Air Maroc flight, and then travelled to Lisbon.

After appearing at the Portuguese and Moroccan embassies during the week as part of the procedure for visa processing, the nine-time African champions trained at the MKO Abiola National Stadium on Thursday evening, and at the Turf Arena on Friday and Saturday, in preparation for Monday’s encounter.

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Goalkeepers Chiamaka Nnadozie and Tochukwu Oluehi, experienced defender Osinachi Ohale, midfielder Christy Ucheibe and forward Francisca Ordega were among those that worked out under the guidance of Head Coach Justine Madugu and his assistants.

US-based defender Michelle Alozie, Saud Arabia-based Ashleigh Plumptre, captain Rasheedat Ajibade and fellow midfielders Halimatu Ayinde, Jennifer Echegini and Toni Payne, as well as forwards Esther Okoronkwo, Rinsola Babajide and Chinwendu Ihezuo will team up with the team at the training camp in the Portuguese capital.

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Monday’s encounter will take place at the Estádio José Gomes in the Amadora precinct of Lisbon, and will
commence at 7pm Portugal time (same time as in Nigeria).

Ghana’s Black Queens are also in the Falcons’ radar, as both teams are set to clash in another friendly match in Morocco on Sunday, 29th June, days before the kick-off of the continental finals.

The Falcons tackle Tunisia, Botswana and Algeria in group B of the competition, with the Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca as venue.

Nigeria sprint icon, Tobi Amusan has emerged as the winner of the Diamond League trophy for a third consecutive time.

World record holder Tobi Amusan delivered a powerful performance at the 2025 Paris Diamond League on Friday, recording a season-best 12.24 seconds in the women’s 100m hurdles to secure a strong second-place finish.

This marks the Nigerian star’s second-fastest time ever, trailing only her world record of 12.12s set in 2022.

Amusan surged in the final stretch, narrowing the gap on the USA’s Grace Stark, who had an explosive start and clinched victory with a lifetime best and meet record of 12.21s—making her the fifth-fastest woman in history over the distance. Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent followed closely in third, clocking 12.30s.

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The race in Paris was a thrilling continuation of Amusan’s resurgent 2025 campaign. After beginning the season with a pair of fourth-place finishes in Xiamen (12.74s) and Shaoxing (12.66s), she rebounded in style, winning the Rabat leg of the Diamond League in 12.45s—a season-best at the time and a meet record.

Paris marked Amusan’s fourth Diamond League appearance this season, and the consistency she’s building suggests she is rounding into peak form just as major international competitions approach.

She faced a stacked field that included the likes of former world silver medallist Keni Harrison, Jamaican rising talent Ackera Nugent, Poland’s Pia Skrzyszowska, Dutch national champion Nadine Visser, Devynne Charlton of the Bahamas, and the in-form Diamond League leader, Grace Stark.

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Despite the fierce competition, Amusan showcased her experience and rising form, finishing strong and scoring valuable points in the race toward the Diamond League Finals in Zurich.

She now sits fourth on the Diamond League leaderboard with 10 points, trailing Stark (23), Danielle Williams (15), and Marione Fourie (12).
(VANGUARD)