Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Shehu Dikko said on Thursday that the prospects of Nigeria reaching the 2026 World Cup finals now rest with FIFA’s judicial bodies after the Super Eagles’ controversial penalty shootout defeat to DR Congo in the African play-off final last November.
Dikko stated this while briefing State House Correspondents after a closed door meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He outlined the sports sector’s robust 2025 performance – including a 1.2% contribution to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the third quarter and the creation of 140,000 jobs across the sports ecosystem.
Dikk called his meeting and with President Tinubu a “routine engagement” and highlighted how Nigeria is remeasuring success beyond medals.
According to him, the country secured nearly 375 international medals last year and drew N50bn (£24m) in private investment, thanks to the NSC’s Renewed Hope Initiative for Nigeria’s Sports Economy.
“We are no longer measuring sports by medals alone,” he said.
Dikko continued thag “We are measuring it by contribution to GDP and job creation.”
The Sports Commission chairman announce that President Tinubu has approved the board for the Nigeria Anti-Doping Agency, following the signing of a long-delayed bill.
He said this ends almost two decades of issues and restores full compliance with the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada), with Dikko declaring Nigeria “a clean country in sports”.
Dikko also outlined plans to prioritise domestic development, including treating junior athletes as a “38th state” at the National Sports Festival, new Under-18 and Under-20 games, and a partnership with the education ministry to revive school sports.
NewsQuest reports that Federations must now prove grassroots investment to secure international support.
He said President Tinubu has also fast-tracked 2026 budget releases for sports, a move, which the chairman hailed as unprecedented.
On World Cup front, the Nigeria Football Federation protests alleged ineligibility of DR Congo players over dual citizenship rules, but no FIFA verdict has emerged as of Thursday.
A favourable outcome could reinstate Nigeria for March’s intercontinental play-offs in Mexico, displacing DR Congo from Africa’s slot.
“The legal matter is pending,” Dikko said. “The relevant independent bodies within FIFA will decide.”
