President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Wednesday, endorsed the forthcoming National Grassroots Sports Development Summit 2026.

The summit, organised by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Grassroots Sports Development, has the theme, “Creating a New Pathway for Sustainable Grassroots Sports Development,” and will be held over two days in Abuja.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Grassroots Sports Development, Hon. Adeyinka Anthony Adeboye, described it as a demonstration of his administration’s commitment to repositioning Nigerian sports from the grassroots.

He said the decision to host the two-day national summit at the Banquet Hall, State House, Presidential Villa, Abuja, reflects the importance the President attaches to building a sustainable sports development system capable of transforming Nigeria’s sporting future.

Speaking on preparations for the event, Adeboye said bringing stakeholders together at the nation’s seat of power for two days of discussions on grassroots sports sends a strong message about the administration’s determination to address longstanding challenges in the sector.

Adeboye said: “For two days, the Presidential Villa will become a centre for serious conversations about the future of Nigerian sports. This is significant because it shows that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu takes sports development seriously and understands that meaningful reform must begin at the grassroots.”

He explained that the Summit is designed to identify structural challenges affecting grassroots sports, explore practical solutions and develop a coordinated roadmap for sustainable talent discovery and development across Nigeria.

According to the Presidential aide, the gathering will attract participants from within and outside the country, including sports administrators, government representatives, sports federations, coaches, former athletes, corporate organisations, development partners and other key stakeholders.

He added, “We want to bring together those who understand the challenges and those with the capacity to provide solutions. Our objective is not simply to discuss the problems but to develop a practical roadmap that can change the direction of grassroots sports development in Nigeria.

“Nigeria has the talent. What we need is the structure. We must move from discovering champions by chance to producing them through a deliberate and sustainable development system.”

Adeboye disclosed that the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) has been engaged as a technical partner for the Summit. He described the partnership as an important step towards ensuring that discussions are evidence-based and produce practical recommendations and measurable outcomes.

He noted that the Summit would address critical issues, including sports infrastructure, school sports, funding, coaching development, private-sector investment, talent identification and sustainable pathways for young athletes to progress from grassroots participation to elite competition.

The SSA stressed that Nigeria’s sporting future depends on establishing a system that consistently identifies, nurtures and develops talents rather than relying on occasional individual breakthroughs.

Chairperson of the Media and Publicity Committee of the summit, Dr. Kehinde Ajayi, called on sports stakeholders, corporate organisations and development partners to support the Summit and contribute meaningfully to achieving its objectives.

“November 18 and 19 must become a defining moment for grassroots sports development in Nigeria. We want a Summit whose impact will be felt long after the discussions have ended,” he said.