Football will always occupy a special place in the hearts of Nigerians. It is our most followed sport, our biggest sporting conversation and arguably our strongest sporting export. But Nigeria's obsession with football should not come at the expense of other sports that have the potential to produce champions, create jobs, attract sponsorship and generate significant revenue.
There is money in other sports.
The National Sports Commission (NSC) must therefore lead a deliberate national strategy to develop sports such as athletics, basketball, boxing, wrestling, table tennis, tennis, swimming, weightlifting, cycling, gymnastics, golf and para-sports.
Nigeria already has evidence that investment outside football can produce extraordinary results.
Our athletes have consistently delivered medals at major international competitions. Nigerian wrestlers have established the country as one of Africa's strongest forces in the sport. D'Tigress have built an enviable reputation in African basketball, while Nigerian boxers, weightlifters, table tennis players and para-athletes continue to compete successfully on the international stage.
Yet many of these sports receive only a fraction of the attention, commercial investment and media coverage enjoyed by football.
That needs to change.
Sports should be treated as an industry
Nigeria should stop viewing sports merely as competitions in which athletes represent the country for medals.
Sports is an industry.
It creates employment for athletes, coaches, referees, sports scientists, physiotherapists, administrators, broadcasters, journalists, event managers, marketers, photographers, equipment manufacturers and countless other professionals.
There is also money in broadcasting rights, sponsorship, ticket sales, merchandising, sports tourism, licensing, advertising and digital content.
The NSC has already acknowledged this direction, with its leadership describing sports as an economic asset capable of driving youth employment, tourism and grassroots industry growth.
The next step should be turning that vision into a measurable national programme.
Nigeria needs a deliberate multi-sport investment strategy
The country should identify sports in which Nigeria has either demonstrated international potential or possesses a natural talent pool and then develop them systematically.
Take athletics.
Nigeria has produced world-class athletes, yet young athletes still struggle to access quality tracks, coaching, sports science, nutrition and international competitions.
The same problem exists in boxing and wrestling. We have talent, but talent alone cannot build a sustainable sporting economy.
Talent needs infrastructure. Talent needs competition. Talent needs investment. Talent needs visibility.
The NSC should therefore establish long-term development programmes for selected sports, with clear targets from grassroots participation through to elite international competition.
Schools must become the foundation
If Nigeria wants to discover the next generation of champions, the process cannot begin when athletes are already adults.
It must begin in schools.
Every child should have the opportunity to experience several sports before deciding which discipline best suits their ability.
A child who does not have the physical attributes or interest to become a footballer may possess exceptional talent for sprinting, swimming, basketball, tennis, gymnastics or another discipline.
The NSC, state sports ministries and education authorities should work together to rebuild school sports competitions and talent identification programmes.
This is one area where Nigeria can create a massive talent pipeline.
Give other sports the media attention they deserve
The media also has a role to play.
Football receives enormous coverage because Nigerians love it, but other sports cannot grow commercially if nobody tells their stories.
When a Nigerian athlete wins an international medal, the achievement should not disappear from the news cycle after one day.
Sports broadcasters, newspapers, websites, radio stations and digital platforms should give greater attention to athletes competing outside football.
More visibility means more fans.
More fans create commercial value.
Commercial value attracts sponsors.
And sponsorship creates opportunities for athletes.
It is a cycle Nigeria must deliberately build.
The NSC must make private investment attractive
Government cannot fund everything.
The private sector must become a major partner in Nigeria's sports development.
But companies will invest where they can see structure, visibility, accountability and commercial returns.
The NSC should therefore develop clear sponsorship packages around selected sports and competitions.
Rather than simply asking companies to "support Nigerian sports", federations should be able to present professional commercial proposals showing the audience, broadcasting opportunities, digital reach, branding opportunities and expected returns.
This is how sports becomes business.
Para-sports must not be forgotten
Nigeria's para-athletes deserve particular attention.
The NSC Director-General, Bukola Olopade, has described Nigerian para-athletes as the country's "unseen giants", acknowledging that they have continued to win medals despite limited recognition.
That should be a wake-up call.
If athletes are consistently bringing medals to Nigeria despite inadequate support, imagine what could happen if they received world-class preparation, equipment, coaching, sports science and welfare support.
Nigeria already has a starting point
The NSC's decision to include 27 sports in the 2026 Coal City Games demonstrates that there is already recognition of the need for a broader sporting ecosystem. The approved programme includes athletics, basketball, boxing, cycling, football, gymnastics, judo, swimming, table tennis, tennis, taekwondo, weightlifting, wrestling and several para-sport disciplines, among others.
The challenge is to ensure that these sports do not exist only during the National Sports Festival.
There must be competitions throughout the year.
Athletes need regular competitive exposure. Coaches need continuous development. Federations need professional administration. Sponsors need reliable platforms. Fans need something to watch.
That is how sporting ecosystems are built.
The NSC must think beyond medals
Nigeria's sporting policy should not only ask: "How many medals did we win?"
It should also ask:
How many jobs did sports create?
How much private investment did we attract?
How many young people entered organised sport?
How much revenue did our competitions generate?
How many international events did Nigeria host?
How many Nigerian athletes became commercially successful?
Those are equally important measures of sporting development.
Nigeria has the population, talent, passion and international reputation to become one of Africa's biggest sporting economies.
But that will not happen if virtually every conversation begins and ends with football.
Football can remain the country's biggest sport while other sports are allowed to flourish.
The goal should not be to reduce football. The goal should be to increase everything else.
The National Sports Commission has an opportunity to build a new Nigerian sports economy in which football remains a giant, but athletics, basketball, boxing, wrestling, tennis, swimming, table tennis, weightlifting, gymnastics, para-sports and other disciplines also become commercially viable.
There is money in these sports.
There are jobs in these sports.
There are champions waiting in these sports.
And there is a generation of Nigerian children waiting for somebody to discover them.
The NSC must look beyond football and unlock the full sporting potential of Nigeria.