The Federal Government has pledged stronger institutional support for the development of shooting sports in Nigeria, with the National Sports Commission (NSC) setting its sights beyond domestic competitions to Olympic medals.

Chairman of the NSC, Shehu Dikko, made the commitment on Saturday at the maiden National Defence College (NDC) Shooting Competition in Abuja, declaring that deliberate government backing was essential to taking shooting sports to the global stage.

Dikko, who spoke against the backdrop of the NDC initiative to promote shooting among military personnel, said the country must move away from celebrating medals won at home and focus on producing athletes capable of competing and winning at the highest international level.

“I don’t want shooting to be just one of our sports. Any sport we want to develop must have the support and direction of our leadership,” he said.

According to him, sporting excellence cannot be achieved without sustained institutional backing, noting that athletes represent the strength and aspirations of the nation.

“Achievement does not come without the support of our leaders because our athletes are the muscle of the people. Our goal is to win Olympic medals, not just national medals,” Dikko said.

He pledged that the Commission would collaborate with relevant sports federations to improve infrastructure and create better training conditions for athletes across the country.

“We are going to work with them to see how we can improve our infrastructure as well, so that our athletes can train and compete under the right conditions,” he added.

The NDC competition, organised in partnership with the Nigeria Shooting Sport Federation, was designed to promote shooting as both a professional military skill and a competitive sporting discipline.

The Commandant of the NDC, Rear Admiral Abdullahi Ahmed, said the College was determined to develop shooting sports among military personnel and produce officers capable of excelling at international competitions.

He said shooting was particularly relevant to military professionalism and strategic leadership because it requires discipline, concentration, precision and coordination between the mind and body.

“The significance is that we want to get closer to our arms so that we know how to handle them safely and, in terms of circumstances, we can use them effectively,” Ahmed said.

The Commandant said the initiative would strengthen participants’ proficiency in weapon handling, shooting positions and the safe use of firearms, while also providing an avenue for physical fitness, recreation and camaraderie.

He disclosed that the competition was the first organised by the College and expressed hope that it would become a regular feature of NDC activities.

Ahmed said the College also wanted to stimulate greater interest in shooting as a sport, noting that Nigerian officers had distinguished themselves in disciplines including golf, hockey, football and handball.

“We also want to create this awareness so that they can develop interest in the shooting sport, so that we begin to see them excel in global shooting competitions and, of course, get more close to their arms,” he said.

President of the Nigeria Shooting Sport Federation, Commodore Mohammed Shettima, said the competition represented part of a broader strategy to make shooting more popular and accessible to Nigerians.

Shettima said the Federation was beginning with the “natural custodians” of shooting, the military and other security agencies , before expanding participation to the general public.

He recalled that the Federation had two months earlier organised the maiden Nigerian Navy Shooting Tournament, describing the two initiatives as steps towards building a stronger shooting culture in Nigeria.

“We are starting first with the natural custodians of shooting, the security agencies, wherever they are,” he said.

Shettima said the Federation was working to change the perception that shooting was exclusively a security activity, stressing that it was also a recognised sporting discipline.

“We are trying to get people to understand that shooting is also open to the general public through the Shooting Sports Federation,” he said.

He added that the Federation’s broader objective was to develop a competitive shooting programme capable of producing athletes who could represent Nigeria at major international competitions, including the Olympic Games.

“Our goal is to devise ways of getting the general public to embrace shooting as a sport, thereby making it an event that Nigeria will compete in, perhaps at the coming Olympics,” Shettima said.

The competition formed part of activities marking the graduation of NDC Course 34, which has undergone 10 months of strategic-level training at the College.

Participants competed against designated targets, with the NDC Commandant, Shettima, a representative of the Inspector-General of Police and other senior officials successfully hitting their targets.

Members of the Officers’ Wives Association also participated in the novelty shooting competition, coordinated by Hajiya Hawa Ahmed.

The high point of the event was the presentation of trophies to winners in the rifle category, while Team Three emerged overall winners and received the grand prize.

Shettima also presented certificates of patronage to the Chief of Naval Staff, the Inspector-General of Police and other dignitaries.

The NDC Commandant commended the organisers and participants, saying the event was not only about competition but also about strengthening professional relationships, teamwork and camaraderie within the defence and security community.