The National Sports Commission (NSC) has inaugurated the board of the E-Sports Federation of Nigeria at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
NSC Chairman, Shehu Dikko while speaking during the inauguration on Friday in Abuja said the federation would strive to compete favorably with contemporaries, while also engaging a new generation of young Nigerians in the rapidly growing esports industry.
Also, NSC Director General, Hon. Bukola Olopade said Esports would energise and encourage the youth to thrive in the digital space.
According to him, It is a sport that engages millions, with stakeholders estimating its reach at around 46 million individuals.
Olopade noted that for about six years, there had been a struggle to organise the E-Sports Federation.
He was of the opinion that unifying e-sports stakeholders to work as one in leveraging an industry valued globally at almost $30 billion was a step in the right direction.
“As a former Commissioner for Sports, I can authoritatively say that sports is a powerful tool for job creation, youth engagement, and national development. We want every sport to be an influential contributor to our country’s GDP, ” Olopade added.
The newly inaugurated board consists of 13 members, with Yahaya Maikori serving as President and Pedro Damilola as Chief Operating Officer (COO).
Other members include: Emmanuel Oyelakin, Sunny Gullong, Sidney Esiri, Suzan Adenoyi, Ikechukwu Okoye, Kunmi Adenipebi (Technical Representative), Tunde Onakoya (International Representative), Musa Sanusi (Athlete Representative), Rita Izoje (NAWIS Representative) and Clinton Agbor (NAFA Representative/Vice President).