By Joel Ajayi
In a renewed effort to revive grassroots sports and promote youth engagement across Nigeria, the House of Representatives has flagged off the distribution of sporting equipment to members of its sports Committee, targeting all 360 federal constituencies.
The initiative, launched on Wednesday in Abuja, is a collaboration between the House Committee on Sports and the National Sports Commission. It aims to support talent discovery and youth participation through the provision of essential sports kits including football boots, jerseys, and training gear.
Speaking at the event, the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, urged lawmakers to redirect their constituency funds towards sports development at the grassroots level, instead of projects that are often left uncompleted.
“It is unacceptable that a country of over 230 million people returns from global competitions without medals, while much smaller nations succeed,” Abbas lamented. “To reclaim our sporting greatness, we must return to grassroots and developmental sports.”
He criticized the proliferation of abandoned skill acquisition centres and called on legislators to invest instead in community-level sports infrastructure and programmes, which he described as powerful tools for youth empowerment.
Commending the House Committee on Sports for its proactive efforts, the Speaker hailed the distribution exercise as unprecedented. “This is the first time I am seeing the Sports Committee match expectations in such a short period. Their performance is commendable and should serve as a model for other committees.”
In his remarks, Chairman of the Sports Committee, Hon. Kabir Amadu (Mai Palace), reaffirmed the House’s resolve to reinvigorate grassroots sports. He noted that each federal constituency will benefit from the distribution, with members expected to take the materials back to their communities.
“This gesture goes beyond symbolism. It is a practical step toward reviving youth engagement and sporting talent across Nigeria,” Amadu said. “We can’t keep lamenting the decline of grassroots sports without taking action.”
He also revealed that the next phase of the project would focus on constructing mini-stadiums across the country to complement the kits and provide long-term infrastructure for sports development.
