By Peter Onyekachukwu 
……As NSF: FG Moves to Let North Host
FROM ONYEKACHUKWU MELUWA, Calabar
The Director General of the National Sports Commission, Hon. Bukola Olopade, says the Federal Government is developing a new hosting model that will make it possible for a northern state to host the National Sports Festival (NSF) after the 2025 edition in Enugu.
Olopade, who spoke to journalists on the sidelines of the 2nd National Council on Sports meeting in Calabar, said discussions had intensified on how to give northern states a fair opportunity to stage the country’s biggest multi-sport event.
He said several stakeholders at the meeting had engaged in what he described as a “robust conversation” on the feasibility, logistics and support systems needed to take the Festival to the North.
According to him, one of the major steps under consideration is a significant reduction in hosting costs, making it easier for states considered “less resourced” to bid for the event.
He explained that the Commission was working on a model that would not just cut costs but also make it possible for financially weaker states to host other national competitions, including the Youth Games and the Intermediate Games.
“These are some very radical changes that have been introduced today,” he said.
Another major decision reached at the meeting, he noted, was a complete overhaul of insurance and welfare packages for athletes, at both local and international levels.
Olopade said the Commission had now agreed on a uniform template that guarantees the safety, health, and personal property of Nigerian athletes any time they travel for competitions.
“We want our athletes to go out and come back feeling safe that their health, their lives, and even the properties they travel with are adequately secured,” he said.
Looking ahead to what he hopes to achieve in the next two to five years, he said he was encouraged by the growing interest of the media in exploring new revenue streams in sports.
According to him, the Commission also plans to build a stronger entrepreneurial ecosystem around sports one capable of empowering youths, small business owners, and persons from low-income backgrounds.
He said the goal is to create opportunities for Nigerians to leverage sports to grow sustainable businesses and even become millionaires.