Nigeria's foremost Sports institution, NIS, graduates 992 during 9th Convocation

Posted : 31 January 2025

Nigeria's foremost institution for sports, the Nigeria Institute for Sports (NIS), in a colorful ceremony on Thursday, awarded various sports certificates to deserving students during its 9th Convocation Ceremony and 50th anniversary celebration.

The certificates, awarded to the 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 sets, ranged from Basic Coaching Certificate, Professional Certificate in Coaching and Sports Psychology, Higher Diploma in Coaching, Professional Certificate in Sports Management, Higher Diploma in Sports Management, and Diploma Certificate in Stadium Management, among others.

Present at the ceremony were the Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Shehu Dikko; the representative of the Governor of Lagos State, Bolaji Ogunlende; the Senior Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Grassroots Sports, Adeboye; the Director-General of the Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC), Lekan Fatodu; and former Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lanlong, among others.

In an interview, Dikko made a bold statement, saying the newly appointed management of the commission was racing against time to develop sports in Nigeria.

“It’s a graduation of students after two to three years of training, and it’s quite exciting to be here. I am happy that NIS is coming back to life after much improvement.

“We are also here to see the progress and explore what we can do to support or assist to make it better as members of the council and visitors. We aim to make it even better, as we are getting more hands to join us in the campaign to restructure sports in Nigeria.

“To achieve the short-term goal, we are working on the infrastructure to train athletes to their full potential.

“We want to see how we can deliver as quickly as possible because we are racing against time. Our sports need that urgent attention and support, and a framework to make it happen,” he said.

The Director-General of NIS, Prof. Olawale Moronkola, stated that the historic 50th celebration of the institution brought back memories of its outstanding achievements.

“We are part of the history of developing sports in Nigeria after many years of academic success in training our sportsmen and women in various sports disciplines.

“The mandate is simple: training the best hands to develop sports in Nigeria, which we will strive to improve upon and ensure that Nigeria does not lack good administrators to manage sports,” he said.

One of the graduates, Agboola Glory, who completed a diploma in volleyball, expressed excitement about returning for another course at NIS after her first experience.

“I am thrilled to come back and learn more about grassroots development of volleyball, which is my core competence.

“This time around, the focus is more on the development of volleyball at the grassroots level than ever before.

“We want to organize volleyball all over Nigeria, not only in Lagos, but across the country. Volleyball appreciation in Nigeria is improving, so we need more hands,” she said.

A swimming coach, Funmilola Gandonu, also spoke about her journey, saying that the race to develop swimming had begun for her after receiving her NIS certification to improve her knowledge.

“Coming to NIS is the height of my aspirations, and I am very grateful for the opportunity to learn more about the development of sports, especially swimming.

“All the training we needed has been provided by NIS. Now, it is our responsibility to translate that knowledge into action and develop the athletes,” she said.

Additionally, a football coach, Adesewa Adegunwa, called for more female administrators and coaches in women’s football to make it more appealing and efficient for women.

Nigeria's foremost Sports institution, NIS, graduates 992 during 9th Convocation

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