The President of the Nigeria Rugby Football Federation (NRFF), Ademola Aré, has called for increased government and private-sector support as the country prepares for its upcoming international rugby assignment in Uganda.
Aré made the call in Abuja on Surday against the backdrop of Nigeria’s growing participation in international rugby competitions and its planned appearance at the World Rugby SVNS 3 qualifier in Uganda on Sept. 26 and 27.
He said Nigeria had made significant progress in the last four to five years, rising to seventh in Africa and gaining access to major competitions at continental and global levels.
“Rugby Nigeria has been witnessing positive strides in the last four or five years. As we are today, we are number seven in Africa from zero level,” Aré said.
He said the country had also increased its participation in the National Sports Festival, Intermediate Sports Festival and National Youth Games, describing the development as evidence of the growing popularity of the sport.
According to him, Nigeria has the potential to compete at the Rugby World Cup level but would require adequate funding to attract and retain its best players, including Nigerians playing professionally abroad.
“We can play in the Rugby World Cup but we will need money. We are bringing in professionals. We have Nigerians playing professionally outside,” he said.
Aré explained that inviting professional Nigerian players from abroad came with financial implications because such players would have to leave their professional engagements and salaries to represent the country.
He said a professional player could require a minimum of 5,000 dollars to participate for Nigeria, apart from other costs associated with international competitions.
The NRFF president appealed to the National Sports Commission (NSC), corporate organisations and sports-loving individuals to increase their support for rugby.
“Government cannot do it alone. We are always appealing to passionate sports-loving individuals and corporate organisations to come out and support us,” he said.
Aré said the cost of running a national rugby team included accommodation, feeding, transportation and other logistics, stressing that adequate funding remained critical to Nigeria’s ambitions.
He expressed optimism that with sustained support, the country could continue its upward movement and compete more strongly at continental and global levels.
The World Rugby SVNS 3 qualifier in Uganda is scheduled for Sept. 26 and 27, with Nigeria among the African teams seeking qualification for the 2027 SVNS 3 competition.
