Nigeria has taken a major step in its quest to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games, welcoming the Commonwealth Sport Bid Evaluation Committee to Abuja on Thursday.
President Bola Tinubu, represented by his Chief of Staff, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, assured the delegation of Nigeria’s readiness to deliver a world-class, inclusive Games that would mark the first time the event is staged on African soil in nearly a century.
“The President has written a Letter of Guarantee to you; his full weight is behind this bid,” Gbajabiamila said at the Presidential Villa. “It’s been almost 100 years. The Games have not been held on African soil. What I can assure you is that we’re ready, we’re willing, we’re able—and we want this.”
Tinubu emphasised his administration’s sports reforms, including replacing the Ministry of Sports with the National Sports Commission, to better position sports as a driver of youth and national development. He pledged that infrastructure, security, and hospitality needs would be met well ahead of schedule.
Nigeria’s bid team, led by Shehu Dikko, Chairman of the National Sports Commission, argued that with 22 Commonwealth nations in Africa, the continent deserves the honour. Mainasara Illo, Chairman of the Bid Committee, unveiled Abuja’s proposal, which features 15 sports—including football, a new addition aimed at boosting global excitement and visibility.
Habu Gumel, President of Commonwealth Sport Nigeria, highlighted nation’s readiness to deliver an environmentally sustainable Games.
Darren Hall, Director of Games and Assurance at Commonwealth Sport, who led the visiting delegation, praised Nigeria’s passion: “I have been most thrilled by the passion of the Nigerian people in all their endeavours, including sports.”
Nigeria faces stiff competition from India, which is backing Ahmedabad, Gujarat, as its host city. The Commonwealth Games General Assembly will decide the 2030 host in November 2025.
If successful, Abuja’s win would mark a historic first for Africa nearly 100 years after the Games began in 1930.
