Several northern states have threatened to withdraw from the 2026 National Sports Festival scheduled to hold in Enugu State in November, following the reported reduction in the number of sporting events included in the competition.
The warning was issued by the Chairman of the Niger State Sports Commission, Abdullahi Masu, who spoke to journalists in Minna, expressing strong dissatisfaction with the decision of the National Sports Commission.
According to him, the number of events was reportedly reduced from 40 to 15, a move he described as unfair and damaging to sports development in the country.
Masu said many northern states had already invested heavily in training athletes for several of the affected sports, only to discover that they had been excluded from the festival lineup.
He warned that continuing under the current arrangement would amount to a waste of public resources, as many athletes would no longer have the opportunity to compete.
He also raised concerns that several major team sports, including handball, volleyball, basketball, football, and hockey, were among those removed from the programme.
Masu argued that the decision could hurt grassroots sports development and increase frustration among athletes who depend on such competitions for exposure and career advancement.
He called on the National Sports Commission to urgently review the decision, describing the exclusion as a setback for national unity in sports.
The sports official further questioned whether Enugu State alone had the capacity to host a national festival under the reduced format, suggesting that hosting rights should either be reconsidered or the event structure expanded to ensure wider participation.
He urged the authorities to engage stakeholders and restore the full range of sporting events to avoid what he described as a potential breakdown in participation ahead of the 2026 festival.
