NSC Tasks Sports Federations on Good Governance, Development

The Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Bukola Olapade, has urged presidents of National Sports Federations to embrace good governance and accountability to attract investment and drive the development of sports in the country.
Olapade made the call at a two-day governance and leadership seminar organised by the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) for presidents of National Sports Federations in Abuja.
He said good governance was essential to repositioning sports as a major contributor to Nigeria’s economic growth and national development.
“Sports has the potential to attract billions of dollars in investment and promote national unity,” he said.
Olapade noted that sporting events often generated widespread public interest and excitement.
He cited the reaction of Nigerians to the national football team’s performance as an example of the unifying power of sports.
The NSC director-general commended the NOC for organising the seminar and urged federation presidents to work together to improve sports administration.
“I want us to have a clearer understanding of Section 16 of the law establishing the NSC to strengthen relations between the commission and the sports federations.
“A common understanding of the law will help clarify the respective responsibilities of the commission, the NOC and the federations,” Olapade said.
Earlier, NOC President, Habu Gumel, said the seminar was designed to strengthen accountability, transparency and administrative efficiency across the national sports federations.
Gumel said the programme, facilitated by an instructor from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), would provide participants with additional knowledge to improve their administrative and operational capacities.
He urged federation presidents to participate actively, listen attentively and ask questions to maximise the benefits of the training.
According to him, the knowledge gained would help the federations improve their administration, prepare athletes for competitions and enhance Nigeria’s performance at local and international events.
Gumel said the seminar was not organised because the federations were performing poorly but to provide a platform for continuous learning and improvement.
“It is important that at any given time you will be reminded of what you are doing,” he said.