Nigeria’s National Sports Commission has confirmed Bayelsa and Kaduna as the host states for the 2028 and 2030 editions of the National Sports Festival.

Bayelsa will stage the 2028 Games, the first time the state will welcome athletes from across the federation for the competition. Kaduna has been handed the 2030 festival, marking its third time as host after the 1977 and 2009 editions.

The Director General of the NSC, Honourable Bukola Olopade, said both states demonstrated clear intent and readiness to take on the responsibility of hosting Nigeria’s biggest domestic sporting gathering.

“We are glad that we have made the Sports Festival attractive again, where states are now showing serious interest in hosting. This is as a result of how President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has prioritised the sports sector under his administration,” Olopade said.

He explained that the commission’s long-term plan is to reshape the festival’s structure and restore its prestige through the Renewed Hope Initiative for the Nigerian Sports Economy.

“The 2025 National Sports Festival in Ogun State was adjudged the best ever games in the history of the festival, but we are raising the bar further with the 2026 Games in Enugu and now the 2028 and 2030 games in Bayelsa and Kaduna states, respectively,” he said.

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