By Darren Hall
Copyright pulsesports
Nigeria welcomes Commonwealth Sport evaluation team for historic 2030 Games bid
Nigeria on Thursday advanced its campaign to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games, welcoming the Commonwealth Sport Bid Evaluation Committee to Abuja in what could become a landmark moment for African sport.
President Bola Tinubu, represented by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, received the delegation at the Aso Rock Villa and assured them that Nigeria is fully prepared to deliver a world-class, inclusive Games.
“What I can assure you is that we’re ready. We’re willing, we’re able, and we actually want this. It’s been almost 100 years, the Games have not been held on any soil in Africa,” Gbajabiamila told the delegation.
The visit marks a major step in Nigeria’s bid to bring the Commonwealth Games to Africa for the first time since their inception in 1930.
A historic opportunity for Africa
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, highlighted the bid’s significance, noting that Africa has never hosted the Games despite 22 of the 56 Commonwealth nations being African.
Nigeria previously lost its bid for the 2014 Games, while Durban, South Africa, won the rights for 2022 but later withdrew due to financial challenges. The event was eventually staged in Birmingham, UK.
Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, stressed that Nigeria’s size, sporting pedigree, and infrastructure make it the rightful candidate.
“The President sees the hosting of the Commonwealth Games in 2030, if we win the bid, as a celebration of the country’s growing force in sports, beyond just participation,” Dikko said.
President Tinubu underscored that hosting the Games would form part of his administration’s broader reforms to reposition sports as a driver of national development.
He announced the scrapping of the Ministry of Sports and its replacement with the National Sports Commission, designed to enhance efficiency and accountability.
He also pledged that all infrastructural, security, and hospitality needs will be delivered ahead of schedule.
Chairman of the Bid Committee, Mainasara Illo, presented Nigeria’s proposal, which includes hosting 15 sports and introducing football to boost excitement, visibility, and global engagement.
President of Commonwealth Sport Nigeria, Habu Gumel, added that the Games would be environmentally sustainable, aligning with global best practices.
Evaluation Committee Impressed
The delegation, led by Darren Hall, Director of Games and Assurance at Commonwealth Sport, praised Nigeria’s commitment.
“I have been most thrilled by the passion of the Nigerian people in all their endeavours, including sports,” Hall said, noting the Commonwealth’s ambition to ensure greater diversity as it approaches its centenary in 2030.
Nigeria vs India
Nigeria’s capital city, Abuja, faces off against Ahmedabad, India, in Gujarat, as the two official bidders for the 2030 Games.
The Commonwealth Games General Assembly will make its final decision in November 2025 after evaluating both bids.
If successful, Nigeria would become the first African nation to host the Commonwealth Games, etching its name into sporting history.
