In 1989 the Nigerian Government issued a major sports policy document, ostensibly representing an unprecedented initiative to maximise the effectiveness of national sports agencies. This policy anticipates a key role for the higher education sector in sports programme reform. The purpose of this paper is to assess the extent to which the Nigerian university sector has adjusted its sports ethos in line with the national sports policy objectives and to review the implications of the current trends for involvement of higher education in sports policy making arenas in Nigeria.