Ernest Osogbue.
Following the conclusion of the bidding process for the 2031 African Games, and the award of the hosting rights to Uganda, the National Sports Commission (NSC), has come up with a story that Nigeria withdrew her bid, so as to pave the way for Uganda to obtain the hosting rights. Kjnnetwork.com has it on good authority that this is a blatant face saving lie, concocted by the NSC chairman, Shehu Dikko, and his Director General, Bukola Olopade, in a bid to continue deceiving President Tinubu, and to continue receiving millions of dollars in funding for frivolous projects.
It is a matter of public records, that President Tinubu, in scrapping the Ministry of Sports, and enthroning the NSC, was generally interested in improving the fortunes of Nigerian sports, and also in using sports as a means of giving Nigeria international visibility. This has resulted in the president throwing his support behind the NSC, to bid for Nigeria to host international sporting events. Unfortunately, however, a lack of standard sporting facilities across the country remains a hindrance to this noble objective.
Rather than open up to President Tinubu, that sporting facilities must first be built, and or, upgraded before bidding to host international events, Dikko and Olopade, assured the president that they could swing hosting rights of international events Nigeria’s way without proper facilities. First, they went on a wild chase of the 2030 Commonwealth Games hosting, knowing fully well that Nigeria would not win it. At the end, they failed woefully. But not before millions of dollars had been expended on the failed project.
Soon after, the NSC announced to Nigerians, that the country was bidding to host the 2031 African Games (AG). While stakeholders expressed some doubts, there was also the expectation that the AG, was a lesser event, compared to the Commonwealth Games, and that the possibility of a lower threshold of facilities availability, could afford Nigeria a window to host the 2031 AG, while using it as an opportunity to upgrade sporting facilities, with an eye on the future. With this in mind, stakeholders threw their support behind the NSC. Unfortunately, rather than following the proper procedures, the NSC started a battle with the secretariat of the African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 2 in Abuja. Unknown to them, this body plays a very critical role in the award of the AG hosting rights. Instead of adopting the AUSC Region 2 secretariat as a partner, the NSC treated it with disdain.
On April 21st 2026, the AU technical committee met after assessing the bids of Nigeria and Uganda, towards hosting the 2031 African Games. After presentations were made by both parties, the committee then took a vote. While Uganda received 5 votes, Nigeria received 3 votes, with 4 members abstaining from voting. Our investigations, revealed that the shabby treatment of the AUSC officials in Abuja, was responsible for the 4 abstaining votes. Those members were actually people sympathetic to the Nigerian bid, but were conflicted on supporting Nigeria when the NSC officials were putting their colleagues through the grinder in Abuja, they therefore decided to abstain to see how Nigeria would fare. It follows that had Dikko and Olopade been more diplomatic, those 4 votes would have swung the decision in Nigeria’s favor.
We reported on May 3rd 2026, in our story titled “The Failings of Shehu Dikko and Bukola Olopade at the National Sports Commission” how the voting had gone against Nigeria, and how only a ratification of the votes on June 2nd, would seal the deal for Uganda. True to our report, on Tuesday, June 2nd, 2026, the technical committee votes of April 21st, were ratified by the ministerial committee, and the bidding was won by Uganda, as it beat Nigeria to receive the nod. Rather than Dikko and Olopade accepting that they bungled the process, they conveniently concocted a story that Nigeria withdrew her bid, and that the hosting rights was based on a region by region basis. This is a BLATANT LIE. Nigeria had a chance to win the bid, but the arrogance of Dikko and Olopade, blew the opportunity. We challenge the NSC, to produce the Nigerian letter of withdrawal, endorsed by the relevant authorities, if it is telling Nigerians the truth. When did Nigeria withdraw? How come Nigerians are only being told of a withdrawal after the whole process had been concluded?
Uganda is currently struggling to meet the Confederation of African Football (CAF) threshold for facilities, in its bid to cohost the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, with fellow East African nations, Kenya and Tanzania. How could Nigeria lose the hosting rights to Uganda, without a good fight? If the African Games hosting was based on a region by region basis, why did the NSC launch a bid in the first place, if it was not our regions turn? Dikko and Olopade, simply cooked up this face saving lie, knowing that it would be unacceptable to Nigerians that Uganda comfortably denied Nigeria a much desired opportunity to host the AG once more, after over 23 years.
We urge President Tinubu, to investigate this matter thoroughly, and go beyond sentiments. Dikko and Olopade have been deceiving the president for long, it is important for President Tinubu to uncover the truth and ensure that the right and proper action is taken if it is discovered that some shady dealings were involved. Especially, if Nigeria should not have launched a bid in the first place, and if it should have, why and how did Nigeria’s bid fail.
