The National Sports Commission (NSC) has called for stronger collaboration with four Federal Government-owned media organisations to promote sports development and expand the sector’s economic opportunities.
The Chairman of the NSC, Malam Shehu Dikko, made the call when he received heads of sports/editors of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Voice of Nigeria (VON) and Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) on a familiarisation visit in Abuja on Tuesday.
NAN reports that the visit was aimed at strengthening engagement between the NSC and the four government-owned media organisations, with a view to improving sports publicity and exploring areas of collaboration.
“The commission is committed to building a productive partnership with the media organisations to improve sports coverage, promote government initiatives and attract greater private-sector investment into the sports industry.
“Effective media collaboration is essential to communicating the commission’s programmes, showcasing achievements and repositioning sports as a viable contributor to national economic growth.
“The commission is also exploring the establishment of a dedicated sports television channel to provide comprehensive coverage of Nigerian sports and create opportunities for athletes, sports administrators and other industry stakeholders,” Dikko said.
According to him, the proposed channel will feature different sporting disciplines and help expand the visibility of Nigerian athletes and competitions locally and internationally.
“The commission is exploring possible partnerships with broadcasters and other relevant stakeholders to develop a sustainable model for the proposed initiative.
“A dedicated sports channel can generate revenue through subscriptions, advertising and other commercial arrangements while giving less prominent sporting disciplines greater visibility.
“I urge the media organisations to work closely with the commission in developing content and promotional strategies that will attract audiences, sponsors and investors to Nigerian sports,” he said.
The chairman said the NSC was also committed to working with sports federations, schools and grassroots organisations to identify and nurture talents capable of competing successfully at the international level.
He explained that grassroots sports development remained central to the commission’s strategy to expand opportunities for young Nigerians and strengthen the country’s representation across various sporting disciplines.
Dikko said the media had a critical role in documenting these initiatives, promoting emerging talents and communicating the wider benefits of sports to the public.
He added that sports could create employment opportunities directly and indirectly in areas such as broadcasting, journalism, event management, tourism, hospitality and other related businesses.
The chairman expressed optimism that stronger cooperation between the commission and the government-owned media organisations would help position sports as a viable economic sector.
He also emphasised the importance of public-private partnerships in developing sports infrastructure, attracting sponsorship and ensuring that facilities generated sustainable revenue.
Dikko said the commission was pursuing initiatives to improve stadium facilities and transform them into multipurpose centres capable of hosting sporting competitions, conferences, among others.
He said such investments would create additional opportunities for media organisations to provide coverage, secure advertising revenue and develop sports-related content.
The chairman reiterated the commission’s readiness to engage the media organisations regularly, share information on its programmes and explore mutually beneficial areas of cooperation.
“The partnership should go beyond reporting sporting events to include joint promotional initiatives that would strengthen the sports industry and improve its contribution to the national economy.”
Dikko thanked the visiting media organisations for their interest in the commission’s activities and expressed confidence that sustained engagement would produce positive results for Nigerian sports.(NAN)
