NASSM President Criticizes Appointment Of Ex-Edo Deputy Governor As NIS Director-General

NASSM President Criticizes Appointment Of Ex-Edo Deputy Governor As NIS Director-General

By Admin

Professor Isiaka Oladele Oladipo, the President of the Nigeria Association of Sports Science and Medicine (NASSM), has condemned the recent appointment of H.E. Philip Shaibu as the Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of Sports (NIS). He described this decision as a troubling precedent for the future of sports development in the country, reports BSNSports.com.ng. 

Professor Oladipo, a sports scientist and lecturer in the Department of Human Kinetics at the University of Ibadan, expressed his concern over placing such a sensitive, research-based institution as the NIS in the hands of a non-professional.

He argued that the position should be held by a qualified academic expert in sports science, not an accountant.

According to him, someone with Shaibu’s background would be more suitably appointed as the chairman of the NIS board rather than overseeing the daily operations and policy direction of the institute.

Referencing historical reforms, Professor Oladipo recalled a 1988 commission led by Professor John Ademola Adedeji, which recommended the separation of the Ministry of Sports from the Sports Commission.

This commission emphasized that the NIS was intended to function as a dedicated research and training institute, modeled after the Australian Institute of Sport.

Part of implementing those recommendations involved training sports professionals, such as Dr. (Mrs.) Dayo Ogundare, in Australia, and appointing seasoned academics like Professor Ajisafe and the late Professor Lasun Emiola as the first directors of the NIS.

Professor Oladipo stressed that appointing a non-specialist to lead the NIS undermines the institute's purpose.

He posed rhetorical questions to illustrate his point: “Is the head of FIIRO a mechanic? Is the Minister of Justice an engineer?”

He emphasized that such an appointment is an example of a "square peg in a round hole."

Additionally, he appealed to President Bola Tinubu to reconsider this decision and to avoid the politicization of appointments within critical professional institutions.

"The NIS was established by an Act, which presumably outlines the qualifications required for the position of Director-General. Unless the Act has been amended, an accountant should not lead the institute," he stated.

He highlighted that numerous highly qualified sports professionals in Nigeria deserve such leadership roles, just as professionals are expected to lead ministries in finance, justice, health, and agriculture.

Supporting Professor Oladipo’s position, other members of NASSM also urged President Tinubu to reverse the appointment and instead choose a sports science expert to head the institute.

President Tinubu appointed former Edo State Deputy Governor Comrade Philip Shaibu as Director-General of the NIS on Saturday.

Established in 1974, the NIS is a research and training institution under the National Sports Commission (NSC) tasked with producing elite coaches, sports scientists, and administrators while conducting essential research to enhance Nigeria’s performance in international sports.