Ajibade Olusesan 
Ex-international and sports activist, Harrison Jalla, has asked President Bola Tinubu to quickly set up the Board of the National Sports Commission (NSC), insisting that this step is very important if Nigeria wants to build a strong and wellorganised sports system.
President Tinubu, on October 23, 2024, dissolved the Federal Ministry of Sports Development and revived the long-inactive NSC.
He appointed former League Management Company (LMC) Chairman, Shehu Dikko, as Chairman and Bukola Olopade, as the Director-General.
Jalla said President Tinubu has made some good efforts in sports, especially with funding and some key appointments but without a proper board in place for the NSC, all the good work may not last.
The Chairman of the Taskforce of the Professional Footballers Association of Nigeria (PFAN) said although the NSC has been brought back and good people are leading it, it is still not legally complete.
He insisted that according to the National Sports Commission Establishment Act of 2023, the NSC must have a board.
“To give legal backing to the activities of the National Sports Commission, President Tinubu must, without further delay, inaugurate the National Sports Commission Board in consonance with the National Sports Commission Establishment Act 2023.
The NSC remains a defective structure without a functional Board, and all its activities currently lack the force of law,” he said.
Jalla stated that President Tinubu’s two years in office should be fairly assessed in terms of sports, despite the administration’s rocky start with the appointment of Senator John Enoh as the Minister of Sports.
However, he commendably corrected this misstep by reinstating the NSC and appointing qualified professionals to lead the Commission.
He added, “On funding, President Tinubu did excellently well. He is arguably the best thing to have happened to Nigerian sports in terms of funding.
His support for the 2024 Olympic Games in France and the Nations Cup in Cote d’Ivoire attests to this fact.
“However, Nigerian athletes, national teams, and sports administrators have not done enough to reward the President’s efforts.
We lost the Nations Cup in Ivory Coast, our performance at the 2024 Olympic Games was woeful, and we are now struggling to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.”
