Northern States Threatens to Boycott 2026 National Sports Festival

By YM Bina

Northern States of the country have threatened to boycott the planned National Sports Festival scheduled for Enugu State come November 2026 following the kick out of their event after expending funds for their training over the years.

The Chairman Niger State Sports Commission NSSC, Comrade Danjuma Abdul Masu made this known while speaking to journalists in Minna, expressed his disappointed over the decision of the management of the National Sports Commission (NSSC) to reduced the 40 sports event to 15 is uncalled for.

According to him, the Northern States including Niger state have been marginalized in terms of sports participation comparative advantage and called for its immediate reversal because there was no need to partake in an event that is of no benefit but a waste of public funds.

Abdul Masu also lamented that most of basic sports with colourful events especially the team games were removed from the event, he described as most unfortunate because this will cause unemployment, while calling for the review of the wrong decision by adding other sports to ensure the protection of the interest and welfare of the participants of the games.

He accused the management of the National Sports Commission of deliberate efforts to draw the country sports development backwards, adding that if Enugu State have no capacity to host the hosting right should be relocated to a competent state or be co-host with another state to ensure full participation.

NSSC chairman noted that some of the team sports excluded from the National Sports Commission organized National Sports Festival to be hosted in Enugu 2026 including; handball, volleyball, basketball, football, hockey among others. He noted that team sports has the largest participation of players which is a compulsory traditional sports in the Northern Nigeria.

He called on the chairman of the National Sports Commission and the Director General to as a matter of urgency reversed such decision, noting that 15 out of 40 sports federation is not considerable for participation.