Back National Sports Commission With Act Of Parliament, Stakeholders Tell Tinubu

President Bola Tinubu has been urged to fasttrack legislative action that would secure the future of the National Sports Commission (NSC).

Stakeholders say that only a dedicated act of parliament can secure the NSC’s autonomy and grant it the authority to revive sports in Nigeria effectively.

President Tinubu approved the scrapping of the Sports Development Ministry and replaced it with the NSC and appointed Shehu Dikko as the Director-General of the Commission.

Former Chairman of the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) Rumson Baribote said the return of the NSC is commendable, but the desired progress can be achieved if the commission is now backed by an act of parliament.

Such a move, he argues, would realign the commission with the nation’s developmental goals in sports, reinforcing it as a driving force in policy formulation, funding, and international collaborations.

“Where is the enabling law establishing the commission? What are the objectives, goals and functions of the commission? The Chairman of the Director-General, how is he going to be appointed, is he going to be confirmed by the Senate or not?

All of these should be encapsulated in the law. We don’t have that. A former Vice President of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, Babs Ogunade said the scrapping of the sports ministry for the return of the NSC might just be a change of nomenclature if the process is not backed by the law and good intent.

“Nigeria’s sports sector has faced numerous challenges, from funding gaps to lack of grassroots support. An NSC backed by an act of parliament would not only ensure stable funding but the overall growth of the sector. But if the intention is not good enough, the NSC will also fail like the ministry.

The individual appointed must have an appetite for success and the government must be sincere to develop the sector too,” he remarked.

There is a strong indication that the commission will now function under the Office of the Secretary to the State Government, and this is seen by many in the sports community as having been effectively demoted, limiting its capacity to drive substantial change in Nigeria’s sports sector.

“Sports have been enjoying the cabinet status under the previous arrangement but putting it under the office of the SGF could hinder progress,” Baribote said.

“It would have been better if the commission was answerable to the president directly. Sport is an essential instrument, how do we get things to work, how do you get approval as quickly as possible if the DG or the Chairman can’t have access to the President, things could go so slowly.”