In a bid to groom the next generation of swimming stars, the Nigeria Aquatics Federation (NAqF) has joined forces with the Nigeria University Games Association (NUGA) to scout, train, and nurture talented student-athletes. The federation’s president, Dukwu Chamberlain, revealed the collaboration on Wednesday during the 27th Nigeria University Games taking place in Jos, where swimming competitions were jointly coordinated by both bodies.
Chamberlain noted that the partnership is already yielding visible progress, as several young swimmers have delivered impressive performances at the Games. He praised NUGA for its continued commitment to developing university sports, describing the initiative as a forward-thinking step toward rebuilding Nigeria’s swimming culture.
“I want to first of all appreciate the president and leadership of NUGA for organising this 27th edition of the Nigerian University Games,” he said.
“The swimming event here in Abuja is a collaborative effort between the Aquatics Federation and NUGA. You can see the number of gold medals recorded so far, it shows there is a great future for aquatic sports in Nigeria.”
The NAqF president also pointed out that swimming remains one of Nigeria’s most rewarding disciplines in terms of medal potential and called for greater focus and investment to unlock its full promise.
“In the committee of sports, aquatic swimming has the highest number of gold medals,” he added.
“If the country concentrates on the development of swimming, we will not lack in medal haul at both continental and international meets.”
He concluded by explaining that the collaboration with NUGA is part of a long-term vision to strengthen grassroots participation and create a structured pathway for emerging swimmers to progress from campus competitions to representing Nigeria at major international championships.
