Nigeria’s long jump star Ese Brume has set her sights on winning gold at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, as she becomes the first recipient of the National Sports Commission’s (NSC) Adopt-an-Athlete Training Grant initiative.
Director General of the NSC, Bukola Olawale Olopade, revealed that Brume, who holds the African record in the women’s long jump at 7.17m, expressed her determination to claim the gold medal despite recently surviving a car accident.
“When we spoke, I asked her what I could tell the Chairman of the NSC, Mallam Shehu Dikko, to do for her immediately,” Olopade said in a statement issued by his media aide, Kola Daniel.
“She made me proud when she said, ‘All I need right now is whatever the Commission can give me as a training grant to help me buy a small vehicle so I can continue my training because I want to win the World Championships in September next year.’ That touched me deeply.”
Brume, 28, has shown steady progress on the global stage, winning bronze in 2019 and silver in 2022 World Championships. The Tokyo event will mark her fourth appearance at the World Athletics Championships if she qualifies. A podium finish in Japan would not only mark a significant milestone for Brume but also make her the first Nigerian athlete to win a medal in three World Championships appearances.
Her inclusion as the first beneficiary of the NSC’s Adopt-an-Athlete initiative further underscores her importance to Nigerian athletics. The program, aimed at providing targeted support to elite athletes, was activated following Brume’s accident.
Speaking at an event to mark the partnership with Confetti Assets Limited, NSC Chairman Mallam Shehu Dikko commended the company for its support, aligning with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision to drive sports development through public-private partnerships.
“We must create a system that does not solely depend on government funding but rather leverages private sector partnerships to achieve a thriving sports economy,” Dikko said.
Olopade emphasised the Commission’s commitment to athlete welfare, describing the initiative as a symbolic step toward providing direct support to elite athletes and grassroots sports.
“While we were strategising, something unfortunate happened to Ese Brume. She was involved in a motor accident, but to God be the glory, her life was spared,” Olopade said.
He added that the Commission has devised an innovative approach to raise funds for athlete development, elite sports, and grassroots initiatives, with Confetti Assets Limited and Faisa being the first donors.
“Today is very significant as we collect the first training grant for the first athlete in a program we plan to launch fully in February 2025. And that first athlete is none other than Ese Brume, arguably one of the most decorated athletes Nigeria has ever produced,” Olopade declared
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