Olopade applauds NCF over cricket drive

2 days ago 24

The Director-General of the National Sports Commission Bukola Olopade has lauded the leadership of the Nigeria Cricket Federation for their ‘transformative efforts in advancing the sport in Nigeria’, after the male national team won the 2026 World Cup Africa Sub-Regional C qualifiers on Thursday.

Olopade was at the twin oval of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja to support the Yellow Greens as they beat Botswana by 77 runs in the last game of the series.

He said the victory was a perfect ending to a brilliant showing of all the team at Nigeria Cricket Federation led president by Uyi Akpata.

“I am very impressed at the level of professionalism displayed and this is what we encourage as a commission. Nigeria didn’t just qualify and win the event, the team that staged this event has shown leadership and professionalism and we are proud of them.

“When you look at this oval and hear the story of how it became an ICC-standard facility, you marvel at the effort and passion they’ve put in. This aligns with President Tinubu’s vision of bringing the private sector on board to drive sports development.

“We must commend the leadership of Nigeria Cricket Federation. Our U-19 girls will be at the Cricket World Cup in Malaysia in January, and now our boys are through to the last stage of the 2026 T20 Men’s World Cup qualifier. They deserve all the support we can give them. And as a commission, we are determined to give support to other sports other than the popular ones.

“We need to de-emphasise the pedagogy of one sport being bigger than others. Cricket is massive globally, and it is gratifying to see Nigeria making inroads in the sport. The NSC will support the federation, just as we do with others. Beyond growing participation, we want to build a sustainable economy around the sports ecosystem.”

NCF president, Akpata, also noted that hosting five other African countries in Abuja during the series has thrown up Nigeria as a cricket destination besides investment in talent development.

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