MTN Champs Light the Torch: Private sector leans as a key to reliving Nigerian base sports

The road to Nigeria’s sports future opened intensely at the Godswill Akpabio stadium as the grand final of the MTN CAMPS Season 3 deployed in an exciting exhibition of young talents, and a resounding call for a deeper participation of the private sector.

Speaking in the event, the president of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Mallam Shehu Dikko, declared that MTN champions are a “brilliant example” of how corporate associations can transform the base development and rekindle the talent pipe that once piles up.

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“The MTN Champs is not just a competition, it is a movement. He embodies the president’s vision for base development and shows what is possible when the private sector undertakes to the construction of the nation through sports,” Dikko said.

He stressed what years of negligence they have left the country struggling to replace their aged sports icons due to a broken talent development system.

But with deliberate approach and collaboration, especially companies like MTN, that narrative will change.

“We are reliving school sports. We are fixing the conveyor talent belt. But we cannot do it alone,” said Dikko, and added that the commission range framework, prioritizing the results, holistic growth, inclusion, sustainability and commitment, is now guiding national efforts.

Dikko praised MTN for his consistency, calling MTN champions “a lighthouse of what is possible” and urged more brands to do the same.

“This initiative demonstrates how education, opportunity and sports can converge to inspire a generation, lifting communities and feed national pride.”

As season 3 ends, one thing is clear: Nigerian base sporting revival may have found its champion, and its future may well be written in sweat and dreams of young athletes who took the center of the stage in Uyo.

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