By Joy Onu
Less than a year after his appointment as Director-General of the National Institute for Sports (NIS), former Edo State Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu has begun implementing a series of institutional reforms aimed at repositioning the agency.
Shaibu assumed office in May 2025, inheriting an Institute faced with limited national reach, operational stagnation and internal administrative challenges. Since then, management has adopted a phased reform approach focusing on structure, long-term planning, personnel development and programme delivery.
According to a statement issued from the Office of the SA, Media to the DG/CEO, NIS, one of the first actions taken by the new Director-General was to consult former administrators of the Institute. Officials say the engagements were intended to review past policy directions, identify systemic gaps and preserve institutional memory.
Insights from those consultations informed the next stage of the reform process, leading to the establishment of several strategic committees made up of technocrats, sports development professionals and sector experts. Their mandate was to design a sustainable framework for the Institute’s growth and renewed relevance.
The committee work resulted in the development of a Ten-Year Development Plan for the National Institute for Sports. Officials familiar with the plan say it provides direction on governance, programme delivery, institutional expansion and human capacity development, while redefining the Institute’s role within Nigeria’s sports ecosystem.
Rather than introduce sweeping changes at once, management opted for gradual implementation. Administrative procedures are under review, operational bottlenecks are being addressed and staff engagement is being strengthened as part of efforts to stabilise the institution. Sources within the Institute say staff morale has shown signs of improvement as reforms progress.
A key aspect of the restructuring is the establishment of zonal offices across the six geopolitical zones. The move is intended to decentralise the Institute’s operations and improve access to training, certification and sports education nationwide, particularly for communities previously limited by distance and centralisation.
The Institute has also commenced manpower development and targeted recruitment, with officials noting that the focus is on competence, balance and institutional renewal rather than numerical expansion. The goal, they say, is to build a workforce capable of sustaining the reform agenda.
Beyond internal reforms, the current administration is reviewing infrastructure conditions, strengthening stakeholder engagement and aligning policies with evolving realities in sports administration and development.
While observers note that the reforms are still unfolding, they agree the Institute has entered a phase of structured rebuilding. The coming months are expected to test how effectively the policies translate into measurable outcomes.
