By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
President of the Kickboxing Federation of Nigeria, Mykel Eneduwa, has credited transparent leadership and sweeping reforms at the National Sports Commission for Nigeria’s Africa-leading finish at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Eneduwa spoke while reacting to Team Nigeria’s performance at the 2026 Games, where the country returned with a seventh-place overall finish, topping the African standings with 24 medals made up of 10 gold, seven silver and seven bronze.
He credited the outcome to prompt reward disbursements and administrative reforms instituted by the NSC Chairman, Shehu Dikko, and Director-General, Bukola Olopade, which he said removed the distractions that had defined Nigeria’s previous outings at major competitions.
“For years, Nigeria’s outings at major competitions were defined as much by unpaid allowances and administrative issues as by results. That narrative was absent in Scotland,” he said.
He added that the reforms translated directly into performance. “Dikko and Olopade got the results by removing distractions and putting athletes first. Without the usual welfare concerns, the team competed with confidence, and that confidence translated to record-breaking runs, historic firsts, and consistent podium finishes,” he said.
Nigeria’s gold rush began with Esther Nworgu’s win in the women’s lightweight para powerlifting, before Goodness Nwachukwu delivered one of the Games’ standout moments, winning the women’s F42 discus and breaking her own world record. On the track, Ezekiel Nathaniel became the first Nigerian man to win Commonwealth Games gold in the men’s 400m hurdles, while Samuel Ogazi added gold in the men’s 400m.
Chukwuebuka Enekwechi delivered Nigeria’s first-ever Commonwealth Games gold in the men’s shot put, Ruth Usoro claimed silver in the women’s long jump, and Idris Riluwan added another gold in para powerlifting. Tobi Amusan, competing through injury, still reached the podium with bronze in the women’s 100m hurdles.
Beyond the medal table, Eneduwa said the results reflected deeper structural changes within Nigerian sports administration, pointing to governance and corporate branding reforms the NSC has pushed across national federations.
