Can Enugu Lead a Southeast Sports Revival?

Posted : 06 June 2025

The National Sports Festival (NSF) may have ended, but its echoes continue to resonate in the sports communities of Nigeria’s Southeast—for all the wrong reasons.

At the just-concluded 22nd edition of the festival, held in Abeokuta and tagged Gateway Games 2024, all five southeastern states—Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo—recorded dismal performances, prompting renewed calls for urgent intervention.

Stakeholders in Awka blamed the poor results on the lack of institutional support, government neglect, and inconsistent sports development strategies. They warned that unless proactive measures are taken, the region’s fortunes in national competitions will continue to decline.

Despite the grandeur of the NSF, which serves as Nigeria’s version of the Olympics, none of the Southeast states made it to the top 10 of the final medals table. Delta State maintained dominance with 126 gold medals, while the closest Southeast performer was Abia, finishing 11th with 11 gold, 16 silver, and 39 bronze.

Other placements:

Imo – 16th (4 gold, 6 silver, 28 bronze)
Anambra – 20th (2 gold, 6 silver, 10 bronze)
Enugu – 23rd (1 gold, 7 silver, 8 bronze)
Ebonyi – 28th (1 gold, 0 silver, 2 bronze)

Combined, the region claimed 19 gold, 35 silver, and 87 bronze—a total of 141 medals, fewer than what 7th-place Lagos achieved alone with 169 medals.

Only Imo State has managed a top-10 finish in any of the last three editions (2020, 2022, and 2024). Notably, South-South states continue to dominate, with five of the six regularly ranking in the top 10.

Veteran sports administrator Victor Nwangwu said the root of the region’s struggles lies in poor governance and the lack of welfare systems for athletes. “Southeast governors do not prioritize sports. Athletes migrate to better-funded states, and that trend will continue without structured support,” he noted.

He urged Southeast states to:

Provide better welfare packages
Build and maintain functional facilities
Hire and train qualified coaches
Implement consistent sports programs

While commending Anambra Governor Chukwuma Soludo for his support of ex-Rangers players, he added that more must be done to convince political leaders about the value of sports.

Johnny Igboka, a former national athlete and coach, lamented the region’s inability to retain talent. “We don’t organise proper trials. Ten days of camping before a national competition won’t deliver results. There is a general lack of planning,” he said.

According to him, when athletes are undertrained, underpaid, and undervalued, they naturally look elsewhere.

Ikem Asika, Vice President of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) Southeast Zone, said the region had lost its grip on sports it once dominated—track and field, wrestling, handball, boxing, and hockey. He urged the Southeast Development Commission (SEDC) to launch a strategic regional revival.

With Enugu set to host the next National Sports Festival in 2026, stakeholders see a golden opportunity to rewrite the region’s narrative. But they warn that planning must begin now, not months before the event.

“Let us not host just for the fun of it,” Asika said. “Let us host to win.”

Can Enugu Lead a Southeast Sports Revival?

The National Sports Festival (NSF) may have ended, but its echoes continue to resonate in the sports communities of Nigeria’s Southeast—for all the wrong reasons.

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