On Tuesday, the President of the Students Union of the National Institute of Sports (NIS), Mr. Michael Omefe, and other matriculating students of the institute staked high expectations on the programmes offered by Nigeria’s foremost sports academy.
The 2024 academic session students gave their various expectations in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sidelines of the matriculation ceremony held at the Indoor Sports Hall of NIS, National Stadium, Surulere.
NAN reports that NIS held its matriculation ceremony on Tuesday with over 270 students taking the matriculation oath.
Prof. Olawale Moronkola, NIS Director General/CEO, in his address at the ceremony, urged the students to maintain the institute’s high academic standards.
Meanwhile, the newly-elected student union president, Omefe, said the stakes were high on the expectations of the courses being offered at the prestigious Sports Academy.
“I thank the leadership of NIS under the management of Prof. Moronkola for the great work they are doing here.
“Before I got here, I had been briefed about the activities of the school, and I was not surprised with what I met on the ground.
“NIS was established in 1974 for the development and promotion of sports in Nigeria, and that is why we are here. Sports is a unifying force, as we have gathered here from different ethnic and religious backgrounds,” he said.
Omefe added that his administration would focus on three key areas of development, which include engagements, giving back projects, and the empowerment of members.
“The expectations as we have come here to NIS are high; we are expected to bring the knowledge garnered here for the development of sports in Nigeria.
“Also, as a student union government, we want to perform better than the previous administration,” he said.
Another executive, Mrs. Anthonia Ikeje, said that the course being offered at the sports academy would be of immense benefit to her career as a sports manager.
“Today is our matriculation day, but just funny to me, as my years of first matriculation into my first degree, as a teenager, can even give birth to a child.
`Well, as nature may have it, we cannot cheat on nature. I am back on the first floor with my popularity in sports.
“As a primary school pupil, I was the best in tracks; as a secondary school student, I was the I was the best in 110m hurdles, 400 m, and second to the best in 100m in Nigeria during the National Inter-Federal Sports Competition.
“I am in the NIS for a Professional Course in Sports Management in the NIS. It is a great joy to see my mama as that girl of 18 who matriculated decades ago,” she said.
Ikeje added: “One must fulfil every destination of one’s life; this I have come to realize because I didn’t continue with sports in the university, and here I am at this age, back to it in a way I cannot forget in a haste; he gave me the counseling, and I am ever grateful to him,” she said.
Mr. Olanrewaju is from Lagos State and told NAN that being a certified sportsperson from NIS is a worthy investment.
“This is the highest sports certificate-issuing institute in Nigeria. I am here to get certified so as to contribute significantly to sports development in Nigeria.
“I am into sports management, and having a worthy certificate will arm me further in my line of duty,” he said.
Mr. Emmanuel Oyeleke said he was in the institution to advance his knowledge in sports administration.
Also, Charles Njoku re-echoed the submission of the NIS students union president, adding that he was looking forward to being challenged to put into practice the experiences gained at the end of his studies. (NAN
