The Federal Government has inaugurated a 20-member committee to review and update curricula for sports-related courses in universities and other tertiary institutions across Nigeria.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Olatunji Alausa, inaugurated the committee on Thursday in Abuja, tasking members to conduct a comprehensive review of existing physical and health education, sports, and sports science courses accredited by the National Universities Commission (NUC), National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), and curricula developed by the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC).
According to Alausa, the current curricula in Nigerian tertiary institutions remain heavily theoretical and outdated, failing to align with global best practices.
“For Nigeria to compete with other prosperous sporting nations, we must return to foundational sports development starting from early childhood,” he said. “Education is sports, and sports is education. Many countries doing well today nurtured their children from kindergarten, while many of our youths are wasting away.”
He lamented the decline of Nigeria’s once-robust sporting culture, recalling the glory days of clubs such as Shooting Stars. He noted that many Nigerians now rely on pay television to watch foreign football leagues instead of supporting local competitions.
“Something is not right,” the Minister said. “That is why we are setting up this committee—to rebuild from the foundation through the right curricula.”
The committee’s terms of reference include:
Reviewing existing courses and curricula in physical/health education, sports, and sports science.
Recommending updates in content, structure, or introducing new programmes in line with global trends.
Suggesting strategies to integrate sports studies with other fields such as medicine (physiotherapy) and business (sports management).
Identifying relevant documents and resources to aid their work.
Submitting a detailed report based on evaluations and deliberations.
Special Assistant on Digital Communications and E-Learning to the Minister, Mojoyinoluwa Adebajo, described the initiative as a critical step for Nigeria’s sports development.
Members of the committee include Hajia Rekiya Ilyasu (Director, University Education, FME), Alex Usman Ejeh (Director, Polytechnic Education, FME), Dr. Uche Uba (Director, Colleges of Education, FME), Mojoyin Adebajo (Special Assistant, Digital Communications & E-Learning), Prof. Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu (Executive Secretary, NUC), Prof. Paulinus Chijioke Okwelle (Executive Secretary, NCCE), and Prof. Idris Bugaje (Executive Secretary, NBTE), among others.
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