The National Institute for Sports has approached the Nigerian Education Loan Fund for a strategic collaboration aimed at strengthening sports education and developing a skilled workforce across Nigeria's sporting ecosystem.

NIS Director General Philip Shaibu led the visit to the NELFUND headquarters, where he outlined the institute's mandate and the funding challenges currently limiting its capacity to train coaches and sports professionals.

Shaibu traced the institute's origins to 1972, noting it was conceived and formally established in 1974 to train sports personnel for Nigeria and the wider African continent. He acknowledged years of neglect and mismanagement that had diminished its impact, but credited President Bola Tinubu with restoring its operational vitality.

"NIS once trained coaches from across Africa who came to learn sports administration and coaching. Unfortunately, the institute suffered years of neglect and mismanagement. However, President Bola Tinubu, in a bid to revitalise the institute, has restored life to NIS, the engine room of sports development in Nigeria," Shaibu stated.

The Director General disclosed that upon assuming office, he identified significant structural gaps that prompted the development of a 10 year strategic plan, refined by a committee incorporating feedback from past and present NIS management, stakeholders, and private sector contributors.

He noted that the institute, originally modelled after leading institutions in Australia and Germany, had since been decentralised across Nigeria's six geopolitical zones, with growing partnerships with state governments and private organisations.

On student welfare, Shaibu revealed that the institute currently permits tuition payments in instalments as a temporary measure, but stressed that a more sustainable framework was needed.

"Some of our students have requested to pay their fees in instalments, and I approved it. However, this is why collaboration with NELFUND is essential, as there is already a framework designed by the Federal Government to support such needs," Shaibu added.

NELFUND Managing Director Akintunde Sawyerr commended Shaibu's leadership and reaffirmed the fund's readiness to support the institute through educational loans and strategic partnerships.

"We must do all we can to take young people off the streets and engage them productively through sports. NELFUND is ready to support the institute through strategic partnership and access to educational loans," Sawyerr disclosed.

Both parties concluded the meeting with a commitment to expand opportunities in sports education and empower the next generation of Nigerian athletes and coaches.