Deaf sports stakeholders in Lagos State staged a peaceful protest at the National Stadium, Surulere, on Monday over the exclusion of deaf sports from the 2026 National Sports Festival in Enugu.
The stakeholders described the decision as discriminatory, insisting that deaf athletes deserve equal opportunities alongside para-athletes at the Coal City Games, scheduled for November 27 to December 11.
Separately, the Nigeria Deaf Football Association plans to protest in Abuja from October 19 to 22 over unpaid allowances and bonuses owed to the Nigeria Deaf Eagles following the 2023 World Deaf Football Championship in Malaysia.
President of the Nigeria Deaf Sports Federation, Alhaji Suleiman Dagbo, said the National Council on Sports approved the inclusion of up to three deaf sports as compulsory events in May 2024.
Athletics, Badminton and Table Tennis featured at the 2024 Gateway Games in Abeokuta, where 124 deaf athletes from 22 states reportedly won 100 medals.
Dagbo alleged that the decision was reversed in April 2025 without consultation, adding that letters to the National Sports Commission had received no response.
Former national champion Badmus Nurudeen called for fairness, while coach Emmanuel Audu said the uncertainty had disrupted preparations.
Oyo State Deaf Sports Secretary Segun Oyedeji cited the Disability Act 2018 and warned that continued exclusion could trigger a nationwide boycott of the festival.
