The Senior Particular Assistant to the President on Grassroots Sports activities Growth, Hon. Adeyinka Anthony Adeboye, has applauded the Nationwide Sports activities Fee (NSC) for its nationwide appreciation tour aimed toward recognising and rewarding excellent younger Nigerian athletes who’ve distinguished themselves at each nationwide and worldwide competitions.
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Adeboye described the initiative, led by the Director Common of the Nationwide Sports activities Fee, Hon. Bukola Olopade, as a daring step towards strengthening grassroots sports activities growth and motivating younger athletes throughout the nation.
The appreciation tour, which started earlier within the week with a go to to Grange School, Lagos, continued on Thursday in Abeokuta, the place excellent junior athlete Majekodunmi Afusat Bisola was offered with a ₦3 million cheque in recognition of her distinctive performances.
Majekodunmi has emerged as certainly one of Nigeria’s brightest younger monitor athletes, delivering a formidable run of performances in latest competitions.
She gained gold medals within the 400 metres and the 4x400m relay on the 2024 Nationwide Sports activities Pageant, earlier than repeating the identical feat on the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) Junior Championship in Abeokuta.
Her exceptional achievements continued on the African Youth Video games in Luanda, Angola, the place she additionally emerged as one of many standout performers, additional establishing herself as a rising star in Nigerian athletics.
Talking throughout the presentation in Abeokuta, Hon. Bukola Olopade defined that the Fee determined to increase monetary appreciation to grassroots athletes after elite performers had earlier acquired grants operating into hundreds of {dollars}.
“A couple of weeks in the past, after paying grants to our elite athletes, we agreed there was a must additionally recognize these younger, budding abilities who made Nigeria proud final 12 months,” Olopade said.
He revealed that of the 376 medals recorded by Nigerian athletes in 2025, greater than 200 had been gained by grassroots abilities, highlighting the significance of continued funding in youth sports activities growth.
The Fee additionally defined that the choice to current the awards at athletes’ faculties and coaching grounds was deliberate, because it promotes transparency, discourages age dishonest, and demonstrates how abilities are being found and nurtured immediately throughout the college system.
Reacting to the popularity, Majekodunmi Afusat Bisola expressed deep appreciation to the Nationwide Sports activities Fee and pledged to proceed working laborious to make Nigeria proud. She additionally revealed her ambition to safe a podium end on the forthcoming Summer time Youth Olympic Video games in Dakar, Senegal.
The appreciation tour had earlier commenced in Lagos, the place teenage swimmers Aidan Dumuije-Abili and Tofunmi Ibidapo had been honoured for his or her exceptional performances on the 2025 Africa Zone 2 Swimming Championship, the place Workforce Nigeria broke a number of continental information.
Fourteen-year-old Aidan Dumuije-Abili set 5 new Africa Zone 2 information, profitable six gold medals, one silver, and one bronze, and was named the Most Precious Junior Athlete of the match.
Tofunmi Ibidapo additionally impressed by profitable gold, silver, and bronze medals throughout particular person and relay occasions, additional strengthening Nigeria’s dominance within the competitors.
Commending the initiative, Hon. Adeyinka Anthony Adeboye stated the popularity of younger athletes on the grassroots stage will encourage extra Nigerian youths to pursue sports activities with self-discipline and willpower.
“When younger athletes are recognised and rewarded for his or her achievements, it sends a robust message that the nation values their laborious work. This type of encouragement is essential for constructing confidence and galvanizing the subsequent technology of champions,” Adeboye stated.
He added that grassroots sports activities stay the inspiration of Nigeria’s future sporting success, noting that early expertise identification and correct assist will make sure that extra younger Nigerians rise to characterize the nation on the worldwide stage.
“Underneath the management of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Federal Authorities is dedicated to creating alternatives for younger Nigerians by means of sports activities. Initiatives like this present clearly that the way forward for Nigerian sports activities lies in investing in our grassroots abilities,” the SSA added.
The appreciation tour is anticipated to proceed within the coming days, with the Chairman of the NSC, Mallam Shehu Dikko, and the Director Common, Hon. Bukola Olopade, scheduled to go to Delta State, Akwa Ibom State, and Abuja because the Fee sustains its drive to have fun and assist Nigeria’s rising sporting abilities.
