By Ayodele Oni
The Forum of State Directors of Sports and General Managers has threatened to pull out of the 2026 National Sports Festival, tagged “Coal City 2026.”
The Forum criticized the National Sports Commission (NSC) for failing to honour an earlier agreement reached during a stakeholders’ meeting in Calabar, where it was resolved that State Directors of Sports would be actively involved in selecting sports for the festival.
It strongly rejected the proposed reduction in the number of sporting events for the 2026 National Sports Festival scheduled to hold in Enugu.
In a position statement issued after extensive deliberations, signed by the Forum’s Secretary, Tunde Ajibike, alongside the Interim Chairman and the Public Relations Officer, noted that the NSC excluded them from the decision-making process, a move they described as unacceptable and one they “strongly oppose in its entirety.”
The Directors insisted that all removed traditional sports, alongside certain Olympic sports and board games, must be reinstated.
They warned that failure to address their concerns could result in a nationwide withdrawal of participation by states.
The statement emphasized that the NSC does not directly manage athletes and coaches at the state level, noting that it may not fully understand the extensive planning, funding, and training investments made by states throughout the year.
“It is therefore unacceptable that after such investments, certain sports are arbitrarily removed, with assurances of alternatives that are neither clear nor credible,” the Forum stated.
The group also raised concerns over claims that participation in Para Games would serve as a qualification criterion for the festival.
They questioned the legal basis for such a requirement and whether adequate support had been provided to enable states to participate, given the bureaucratic processes involved in securing approvals from state governments.
Reaffirming its stance, the Forum aligned itself with an earlier communiqué already in circulation and vowed to maintain its position until the NSC addresses the issues raised.
The Directors further warned that if the host state lacks the capacity to accommodate all approved sports, the hosting rights for the festival should be reconsidered and awarded to a more prepared state, in line with past precedents.
Describing themselves as critical stakeholders in Nigeria’s sports development, the Forum stressed that it would not support policies that undermine growth in the sector.
It also accused the NSC of taking states for granted, a situation it said would no longer be tolerated.
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