Joel Ajayi
Presidential aspirant for the Nigeria Shooting Federation (NSF), Shettima Mohammed Shagir, has pledged to reposition shooting sports in Nigeria through strategic reforms, grassroots inclusion, and alignment with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for sports development.
Shagir made the pledge on Thursday while appearing before the Electoral Committee of the National Sports Commission (NSC) to present his manifesto ahead of the forthcoming federation elections.
Commending the initiative that requires aspirants to publicly present their manifestos, Shagir described it as a welcome step toward transparency and accountability in sports governance.
“The idea of forming and sharing our manifestos is a welcome development. Anyone aspiring to hold an elective position should be able to explain their vision and plans. This is a positive practice that promotes openness and should be sustained,” he said.
Explaining his motivation, Shagir said his aspiration to lead the Shooting Federation is driven by his passion for restructuring and professionalizing the sport while creating opportunities for youth empowerment at the grassroots level.
My decision to contest in this election is to align with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda and promote shooting as a national sport. Shooting is my passion, and I intend to use it as a tool to empower Nigerians, especially those at the grassroots,” he stated.
He underscored the need for increased public awareness and grassroots engagement, noting that the growth of shooting sports depends on community involvement and talent discovery in rural areas.
“We must take shooting to the grassroots — visit communities, identify potential talents, and show people how sports can change lives. Through the Federation, we will give every interested Nigerian a fair opportunity to participate,” he added.
Assessing the current state of the sport, Shagir lamented the decline in structured training and competitions over the past four years, stressing the urgent need to rebuild athlete development systems.
“In the last four years, we have seen very few competitions and no sustainable structure for training athletes. Once we establish a people-focused development framework, we will begin to discover outstanding talents across the country,” he said.
As part of his vision, Shagir proposed establishing a membership and certification system that would allow athletes to join through recognized shooting clubs, country clubs, and sports associations — ensuring professionalism, safety, and discipline within the sport.
“Our goal is to make shooting inclusive, safe, and well-regulated. Participation will be open to everyone who meets the screening and background requirements. Shooting is not just a sport — it is a discipline that teaches focus, patience, and self-control,” he explained.
Shagir concluded by reaffirming his commitment to building a transparent, inclusive, and development-driven Shooting Federation that will nurture grassroots talents, uphold integrity, and reposition Nigerian shooting sports for global recognition.
