The National Sports Commission (NSC) and the Ministry of Arts, Culture, Tourism, and Creative Economy have embarked on a collaborative effort to actualize the sports economy and creative economy mandates of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR. The NSC Chairman, Mallam Shehu Dikko, played host to the Minister, Bar. Hannatu Musawa, at the NSC Headquarters to fine-tune the collaboration.
Speaking at the event, Bar. Musawa highlighted President Tinubu’s boldness in taking decisions and the need for synergies to achieve sustainable development and growth. “Mr. President has a vision for young people, and the majority of Nigerians are young people who are looking for a sense of direction,” she said. “One thing that stands out is the President’s ability to interrupt the normal way of doing things and reset the system for sustainable development and growth.”
She praised Mallam Dikko’s resourcefulness, intellect, and industry, believing he is the ideal person to steer the sporting sector out of its current challenges. “I have spent about thirty minutes discussing with the Chairman (Mallam Dikko), and now I understand why the sports industry needed that independence it required,” she said. “There is no way sports will flourish if it was bogged down by the bureaucracy of the past.”
Bar. Musawa emphasized the need for collaboration between sports and the creatives, stating that “when sports and creative speak, Nigerians listen, Nigerians unite.” She noted that the two sectors can create an ecosystem that merges their interests, citing the example of building an equestrian city project and creative hubs.
The Minister also mentioned that her ministry intends to build a cultural museum and creative hubs with private financing, and it would be perfect to situate these projects within the Moshood Abiola National Stadium. “A collaboration between both institutions will be the key to unlocking the potentials of Abuja as the greatest city,” she said.
In his speech, Mallam Dikko hailed the Minister for “doing an amazing work with the creatives and trying to break the ceiling by doing things differently.” He added that creatives and sports are part of the nation’s assets, bringing people together and promoting national pride.
The NSC Chairman believes the collaboration will help achieve the President’s mandate, citing the Sports City vision and the need for synergies to fast-track development. “Our objective is that in a couple of years, we should be counting 3m sports jobs both direct, indirect, and induced, as well as be at least 3% of GDP,” he concluded.
The two institutions are set to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to formalize their collaboration.
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