Duro Ikhazuagbe
Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Hon. Bukola Olopade, has said that Nigeria’s resurgence in track and field will get more support to sustain the momentum.
Against the backdrop of Team Nigeria’s recent encouraging performances at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the 2026 U20 World Athletics Championships in Oregon, United States, Olopade stressed that they were signs of something new happening that needed encouragement.
“There’s a resurgence in our Nigerian athletes without a doubt,” he began.
The NSC DG pointed at the performances of Miracle Ezechukwu, Jessica Oji, Kanyinsola Ajayi, Ezekiel Nathaniel, Favour Ashe, Samuel Ogazi and Tobi Amusan, describing their emergence as evidence that “something new, something good is happening” in Nigerian athletics.
Olopade, however, cautioned that Nigeria must not allow the encouraging performances to mask the weaknesses that still exist.
“We’re not there. A lot of failures still need to be corrected quickly also,” stressed Olopade , adding that Nigeria still has “a long way to go, technically.”
On the performance of Nigerian athletes at the 2026 World U20 Athletics Championships in Oregon, United States, he said it was okay, but that certain areas need urgent improvements like technical preparation, athlete orientation and welfare.
Olopade stressed that the championship provided Nigeria with valuable lessons that must be used to strengthen the country’s athletics development programmes. He insisted that the U20 event is a developmental competition that is part of a learning process for countries still building their sports ecosystem.
“Overall, it was satisfactory. You must always understand that developmental events of this nature for countries like Nigeria and others that are not there yet have to be a learning curve,” Olopade said.
“We come here, make our mistakes, learn from them and correct them. Not just make mistakes and go back and make the same mistake.”
The NSC boss said his presence in Oregon enabled him to identify several areas where the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) needs to improve, particularly in technical engagement between athletes and officials, athlete orientation and personal welfare.
“I’m particularly glad I came here for this meet because I’ve seen so many things that AFN needs to quickly work on. Technical engagement between officials and athletes, orientation for athletes and also the personal care that young athletes demand,” he said.
Olopade cited the experience of Lucy Nwankwo who was disqualified for a false start, as an example of the emotional support young athletes require at major championships.
He said such moments could be overwhelming for young athletes and noted that even established stars had experienced similar setbacks.
According to him, Nigeria must create an environment where athletes understand that mistakes are part of development and can recover from disappointing moments without losing confidence.
He particularly called for greater investment in coaches, describing Nigerian grassroots coaches as among the best anywhere but insisting that they require stronger institutional support.
“Our coaches are the best coaches, I keep saying it, the best grassroots coaches you can ever find anywhere. But they need help, and we need to support them,” Olopade said.
He assured that the NSC would provide the necessary support to strengthen coaching and athlete development.
Olopade further linked the Commission’s approach to the broader mandate of President Bola Tinubu, saying the government was committed to ensuring that Nigerian athletes have the financial, mental and performance support required to compete at the highest level.