Nigeria Sports Arena

The Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Hon. Bukola Olopade, has been honoured with the prestigious Sports Administrator of the Year award at the New Telegraph Awards, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to sports development in Nigeria. The award, which took place on Friday, celebrated Olopade’s transformative leadership, administrative excellence and longstanding commitment to building sustainable sports structures across the country. A seasoned sports administrator, Olopade has served twice as Commissioner for Sports in Ogun State, where he spearheaded progressive reforms and talent development initiatives. His leadership footprint also spans multiple strategic roles within Nigeria’s sports ecosystem. He is a former President of the Nigeria Wheelchair Basketball Federation, where he championed inclusivity and the advancement of para-sports.  He also served as Chief Operating Officer of the Nigeria National League (NNL), strengthening...

With eight days left to the 11th Access Bank Lagos City Marathon, excitement continues to build as organisers reaffirm the strong financial incentives on offer for athletes across multiple race categories, further underlining the event’s status as Africa’s biggest road race. In the 10km race for both men and women, prize money has been fixed to reward top performances, with ₦500,000 set aside for first place, ₦400,000 for second, ₦300,000 for third, ₦200,000 for fourth, and ₦100,000 for fifth.  The structure reflects the marathon’s commitment to encouraging broad participation while rewarding excellence beyond the elite marathon distance. Beyond the 10km category, significant financial rewards have already been announced for other races.  The elite 42km international marathon will share a total prize purse of $250,000, with $50,000 awarded to the winner and cash prizes extending to the top eight finishers, reinforcing the race’s World Athletics Gold Label status. N...

Barau Football Club, held Bendel Insurance to a goalless draw in a Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) Matchday 23 encounter played at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin Edo state. The match, which took place on Thursday, saw the visitors, Barau FC, put up a resilient performance to earn a valuable point after 90 minutes of action ended 0–0. With the result, the Maliya Boys have now extended their unbeaten run to four matches in the 2025/2026 NPFL second-round stanza. Barau FC had earlier recorded a victory against Niger Tornadoes earlier this month in the second round, before securing three consecutive draws against Enyimba in Aba, Bayelsa United in Kano, and Bendel Insurance in Benin. Speaking in a post-match interview, Barau FC head coach, Eugene Agagbe, commended his players for their discipline and determination. “Actually, I want to commend my players. It isn’t easy to pick up points away from home, but surely the players obeyed my tactics, and that’s why we got s...

Written by- Adewale Ajayi (OjaLion) I think it's high time the Nigeria Media applies caution with what we send out to the public. It is always very important that we dig deep, ask questions from all parties involved and try as much as possible not to always paint our dear country black before the international community.  I am a proud Canadian but the Nigerian blood still flows in me and because of that, I try as much as possible to seek first the truth and nothing but the truth on all matters relating to Nigeria football.   As much as anyone tries to paint this NFF and NSC black for content or for cheap popularity, it is always important as journalists, to always give these administrators the benefit of the doubt in such matters that could tarnish reputation and destroy integrity.  Just when we thought the players altercation in the aftermath of the match between Nigeria and Mozambique has been nipped in the bud and that sanity has returned to the Super ...

The Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Hon. Bukola Olopade, has expressed deep sympathy to global boxing star Anthony Joshua and the families of victims involved in a fatal road accident that occurred on Monday, December 29, at the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. In a moment that transcended official statements and underscored the human side of leadership, Hon. Olopade swiftly paid a visit to former world heavyweight boxing champion, on the behalf of the chairman of the Commission, Mallam Shehu Dikko and the entire staff of the Commission. Hon. Olopade described the accident as tragic and deeply saddening, while thanking God for the survival of the boxing icon. Unfortunately, Joshua’s strength and conditioning coach, Sina Ghami and personal trainer, Kevin Latif Ayodele lost their lives in the crash. “On behalf of the National Sports Commission and the entire Nigerian sports family, I express my heartfelt condolences to the families who lost their loved ones ...

Nigerian football is on the cusp of a major transformation, thanks to a groundbreaking ₦40 billion investment from Toptier Sports Management.  The 10-year strategic investment is set to supercharge the Nigeria Women’s Football League (NWFL) and the Nigeria National League (NNL), marking a seismic shift in the country’s domestic football landscape. "This is a long-term investment in structure, people, and possibilities," said Chichi Nwoko, Founder of Toptier Sports Management. "If Nigerian football is going to truly compete, it must be built deliberately, funded properly, and managed professionally. That is what this ₦40 billion commitment represents." Hon. Bukola Olopade, Director General, National Sports Commission (NSC) said “this ₦40 billion commitment is a clear vote of confidence in the reforms taking place across Nigerian sports. At the Commission, we are intentional about creating an environment where credible private investors can partner with go...