As I sat past midnight watching the American National Football Super Bowl championship LX between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks on February 8th, 2026, I was impressed to see there were six players of Nigerian descent on the Seahawks team and one on the New England Patriots team. At the end of the game, there was an immediate sense of pride because, regardless of who won, the Nigerian flag was dominant in the California Santa Clara stadium. But almost immediately, I went into a very reflective mood at about 5 am, understanding that as a country, we contributed minimally to their development and growth, but despite it all, they were happy to identify with the country by having the Nigerian flag on their helmets and wrapped around those on the winning team.
What is it about being Nigerian that makes sportsmen like Kamaru Usman, Ademola Lookman, Uchenna Nwosu, Anthony Joshua, Masai Ujiri, Victor Osimhen, Hakeem Olajuwon and a lot more identify with the Nigerian brand? Is it the genetic makeup in their DNA that makes us ready? The confidence? The tenacity? The truth is, I am not sure, but what is obvious is that their global dominance has little to do with the investment in their growth by the country. None of them came out of a structured youth development programme. In fact, at one point or another in their careers, most of them had to take their development into their own hands against all odds. As citizens of a country, we are physically built to excel at sports, and that’s why it’s unfortunate that there is a systemic short-sightedness in investing in the sporting capabilities of Nigerians from childhood.
There are 3 key areas that Nigerians have shown an ability to excel in and take themselves out of poverty, but where the grassroots institutional support for growth is deficient or lacking – sports, music and education. The story is the same regardless of the industry. In education, for example, even though the intellectual capacity of Nigerians ranks higher than most countries in the world, the sustainable investment in this sector has a gaping margin, thus leaving most graduates with a deficiency on graduation that they need to further develop themselves to be employable. The music sector is another example where the majority of our most successful artists have become globally recognisable artists simply through raw talent and minimal formal music education. The sports sector is the most glaring. When you review the most common sports in Nigeria, there is no formal structure or format to sustainably produce top sportsmen and women. The grassroots investment to nurture talent is missing, and sadly, the majority of Nigerians who are financially capable of impact investing would rather support a foreign team or athlete while ignoring the local talent. When you review the sporting interests of the wealthiest Nigerians, rarely would you find support for the grassroots development of a sport or an athlete. In past conversations, I have come to realise that sponsoring a local league or funding the TV rights to show a sporting event contributes minimally to the development of the sportsmen and women. We need to go back to developing and investing in the grassroots sports facilities, music schools and elementary education.
Focusing on Sports. Maybe the fundamental reason for this is that most financially capable individuals or groups do not find our sporting institutions investment-ready. Between the missing corporate governance and the lack of accountability, it’s a challenge to invest in the framework to develop future sporting leaders.
So how do we fix the challenge? I am not an expert, and the truth is, I am not sure I know the solution, but I do have ideas on what can work. Recently, I got involved in the introduction of a sport into Nigeria, and with the cooperation of a few friends and colleagues, we were able to raise enough funds to build a sports event centre that not only caters to active players but also, more importantly, helps us develop future sports leaders. It’s important to have the right governance structure in place for the administrators and to be accountable and transparent. Investment follows the path of trust, and I believe this is key to the growth of education and sports in Nigeria. As a nation, growth can’t be left in the hands of the government alone, as there is no sustainable structure in place to support long-term growth. The role of the government is to create an enabling environment for investment and at most a strategic investment, but for strategic growth, development should mostly be in private hands.
With a buoyant youth population, it’s unfortunate that a significant number of people wake up in the morning, are unemployed and have no life path but are purely at the mercy of gambling centres, which are engulfed by sachet alcohol sellers. It will take focus, commitment and sacrifice, but we can sustainably change the current path. We have a limited time to correct the path of this great nation. It starts with each one of us doing our part towards a budding younger generation.
Dr Bolaji Ogundare is an energy executive and resides in Lagos.
