Jokanola Bolaji
For many years, Nigeria’s National Sports Festival (NSF) has been praised as a top multisport competition, similar to the Olympics and the Common Wealh Games, and viewed as a way to foster national cohesion, find fresh talent, and boost the local sports scene.
But, on hindsight, the festival has turned into a huge financial drain with no discernible economic return, despite the fanfare surrounding the opening and closing ceremonies, medal tables, and the march of State contingents.
By bringing together, athletes and it’s supposed spectators from various backgrounds, the NSF aims to build on national unity from a social perspective.
The purpose of the event is to strengthen a sense of shared identity and purpose by bridging ethnic and regional divides.
The festival’s financial burden, however, calls into question both its viability and its potential to worsen already-existing social injustices.
It is time to evaluate the National Sports Festival’s value in light of Nigeria’s persistent inflationary problems, stumbling economy, and mounting public debt.
Nigeria’s National Sports Festival has no source of income, in contrast to international events like the Olympics, which bring in billions from ticket sales, media rights, sponsorships, and tourism.
In Nigeria, there is little to no ticketing, no TV rights are sold, and corporate sponsorship is still woefully underdeveloped or poorly run.
Unfortunately, the event excels at using public funds carelessly. Funds that can be used in better ways to develop sports or other sectors of the nation.
According to reports, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics brought in over $7.6 billion, thanks to a well-defined financial plan, openness, and international collaborations.
In contrast, almost if not all Nigerian states incur unwanted expenditure in order to host the NSF, with no means of recovering expenses. The outcome?
A festival that receives nearly all of its funding from taxpayers but provides no financial benefits. Now, to how the hosting rights are secured.
The obscure secrecy surrounding the actual amount of money states spend hosting the NSF is among the most unsettling trends.
Despite making big announcements and cutting ribbons, government representatives hardly ever reveal audited spending or revenue figures. No accountability, no procurement breakdown, and no post-tournament independent reports.
According to reports, a state government spent more than ₦4 billion in 2022 getting ready for the festival with no post-event economic impact assessment.
Journalists, civil society groups, and citizens are routinely stonewalled when seeking clarity on spending.
Worse still, there’s no clear data showing how much value the festival brings back to the host state in terms of job creation, tourism revenue, economic benefits or long-term investments in sport.
In no time after the fanfare, hosts state are filled with dilapidated and poorly maintained legacy of the festival . This includes undermaintained venues, vacant stadiums, and underutilised sports facilities.
Host states frequently find it difficult, or even refuse, to maintain the infrastructure they rushed to build for the event after the lights go out and the athletes depart.
For same states, they can simply not afford to maintain the ‘multi-billion’, ‘state of the art’, ‘ultra modern’, ‘world class’ and whatever politicians use on the ribbon cutting of these facilities.
Recent examples shows that less than five years after being renovated or constructed for the NSF, facilities in former host states like Edo, Cross River, and Rivers are already disintegrating and now below standards. As weeds, neglect, and silence take over, sports facilities turn into white elephants.
This cycle of build, boast, and abandon is one Nigeria can no longer afford.
The NSF was initially established to develop home-based talent and serve as a conduit to the national teams for all sports.
Today, however, it has been reduced to a contest between state-funded “mercenary athletes”. Athletes who are purchased or leased from other areas, frequently having no connection to the state they represent.
While some athletes are recruited from rival states with the promise of greater benefits and bonuses, others are flown in from the U.S. or Europe. As a result, the festival is no longer a display of domestic talent but rather a bidding war.
It has now become a norm that an athlete who represented State A in 2021 may be registered to represent State B and subsequently representing State C in 2025. These athletes at the end, have zero connection with the states they represent.
The outcome? States spend more money purchasing temporary triumphs than creating long-term sports infrastructure. Communities, schools, and local coaches are neglected. And the dream of grassroots sport is trampled by elite competition politics.
The hosting procedure itself is not impervious to criticism. Frequently, political alignment and lobbying are used to grant hosting rights rather than ability or preparedness.
States make extravagant promises, fall short of fulfilling them, and then abandon the issue without facing any repercussions.
Reports of inflated budgets and ghost suppliers are frequent, and contracts are given out without any transparency. The same pattern appears with each edition: excessive expenses, inadequate preparation, and no financial gain.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a former state sports commissioner disclosed that “a good portion of the NSF budget goes into the hands of political allies, contractors, and travel logistics that never translate into real development.”
For this, it is a call for responsibility, not a critique of sport. The National Sports Festival in Nigeria needs to be put on hold and re-organised into a more impactful, transparent, and long-lasting program.
For the NSF not to remain a glittering festival of failure that defraud the many while entertaining a select few if reforms needs to be implemented.
Why not disperse efforts into regional development camps, school competitions, and year-round talent identification programs rather than one bloated event every two years?
Why not provide funding for long-term athlete welfare, academies, and community sports programs?
A Country where millions go to bed hungry, and hospitals lack basic drugs, spending billions on a sports festival that returns nothing to the economy is irresponsible at best, criminal at worst.
It’s time for honesty, not pageantry. Nigeria must stop this cycle of waste, ask the hard questions, and prioritize real development over political optics.
Cancel the NSF — not forever, but until it can serve the purpose it was truly meant for.
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