By Edward Oseghe
The Executive Chairman of the Edo State Sports Commission, Hon. Desmond Enabulele, has reaffirmed the Commission’s unwavering commitment to Governor Monday Okpebholo’s mandate to rebuild sports in the state from the grassroots.
Represented by Hon. Baldwin Bazuaye, Executive Director (Edo South), at the Forum of Nigeria Football Development held at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium Media Centre on Wednesday, Enabulele said the current administration is intentional about restoring structures that genuinely nurture young talent rather than relying on the poaching of ready-made athletes.
He maintained that the Commission’s activities are aligned with the Governor Monday Okpebholo administration’s sports policy, which prioritizes systematic grassroots development as a sustainable pathway to producing elite athletes capable of competing on national and international stages.
At the event, Comrade Austin Popo, Director of Boots for Grassroots Project Africa and convener of the forum, stressed that Nigeria’s football architecture remains unstable because its foundation—the grassroots—has historically been neglected.
“Our football pyramid needs a solid base to be sustainable, impactful, and capable of producing the results we desire at continental and global levels.
“Grassroots football is that base,” Popo said.
He asserted that youth football, when properly structured, becomes a tool for shaping responsible, empowered young people by offering social competence, economic opportunity, and protection from neglect and abuse.
Popo, a former international footballer, lamented that Nigeria’s youth football development is still “below average,” a condition he linked directly to recurring crises in the nation’s football ecosystem. He also criticized the dominance of state-owned clubs, describing it as “the biggest tragedy and drawback” in Nigerian football because it weakens clubs’ ability to retain young talents transitioning to professional ranks and, ultimately, the national teams.
Also contributing, Fred Newton Erhunmwunse, Chairman of the Edo State Football Association, announced that the FA will now enforce stricter standards by ensuring that only certified coaches are engaged in grassroots programmes across the state, noting that proper coaching is crucial to achieving meaningful youth development.
