
Eighty-nine days after the Federal Government announced the revival of the National Sports Commission (NSC) and appointed Shehu Dikko as its chairman, the commission’s board has yet to be constituted, leading to growing concerns and debates about the NSC’s legitimacy and functionality, New Telegraph reports.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on October 23, 2024, dissolved the Federal Ministry of Sports Development, reinstating the NSC, which had been inactive since 2015.
Dikko, a former League Management Company (LMC) Chairman, was appointed the commission’s chairman. Subsequently, on November 15, 2024, Bukola Olopade, a former Ogun State Commissioner for Youth and Sports, was named the Director-General of the NSC.
Despite these appointments, the full board of the NSC remains not constituted. The NSC was reintroduced under the National Sports Commission Act 2023, signed into law during former President Muhammadu Buhari’s final days in office.
However, our correspondent observed that the commission’s structure and operations remain unclear, especially since the 1971 NSC Act, which it supersedes, has not been officially repealed.
More so, the provisions for the sports ministry outlined in the NSC Act of 2023 add to the ambiguity regarding the commission’s operations.
The 2023 National Sports Commission Act, which re-established the commission, stipulates a comprehensive board structure to oversee its operations.
Section 2, subsection 1 of the NSC Act states that “the Commission shall consist of the following members:(a) The Chairman of the Commission (b) The Director General (c) The Head of School Sports in the Federal Ministry responsible for Education (d) The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Sports or their representative (e) A representative of the National Association of Physical Education, Recreational Sports, and Dance (f) The Chairman of the State Sports Directors Forum (g) Two representatives from the Organized Private Sector (h) The Director and Chief Executive Officer of the National Institute for Sports (NIS) (i) Representatives of military and paramilitary agencies (j) A representative of institutional sports (NUGA, NIPOGA, NICEMA) (k) A representative of retired sportsmen and women (l) A representative of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) who shall be a sports medical expert (m) A representative of persons living with disabilities in sports (n) A representative from the Nigeria Football Federation(o) a representative of the Professional Footballers Association of Nigeria (PFAN)(p) Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and (q) six Chairmen of States Sports Councils” Section 2 subsection 2 of the same Act stipulates that the President shall appoint the Chairman and Members of the Commission.
The activities of the commission are currently being conducted solely by the Chairman and the Director-General. However, former international, Harrison Jalla, said this constitutes a blatant disregard for the law establishing the commission.
He stated that the President may have been given incorrect advice when appointing a Chairman without having a complete board in place.
“I believe the President has been misled on this issue because it is illegal for just one or two individuals to run a commission.
The law that created the NSC clearly outlines how the NSC board must be formed, and no single person can assume the powers of the entire board,” said Jalla, who is the Chairman of the PFAN Task Force.
“They have been operating illegally. Actions taken outside of the law cannot stand; the law specifies that it must be a board, not a one- or two-person operation.
The board needs to be fully constituted before any actions can have the legal authority to execute the powers of the board.
When discussing the agenda for sports, how can one person determine it all? Is that what the law stipulates? We must exercise caution to avoid another crises.
“Moreover, funding has been allocated for the NSC in 2025, with a substantial budget but the current leadership cannot utilize these funds because it is illegal for just the Chairman and the Director-General to disburse the money.
“Every kobo must be accounted for, and it is the board that holds the authority to oversee such finances, not just one or two individuals.
If Dikko and Olopade attempt to access those funds without a constituted board, we will challenge it in court, as that would be illegal.”