The Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) and the National Sports Commission (NSC) have renewed their call for good governance, accountability, and athlete welfare as essential pillars for the sustainable development of sports in Nigeria.
Speaking on Monday in Abuja at the ongoing two-day NOC/Olympic Solidarity Seminar on Good Governance for presidents of sports federations, NOC President Engineer Habu Gumel said the programme was designed to equip federation leaders with additional knowledge needed to improve their administration and advance the interests of Nigerian athletes.
Gumel described the seminar, organised with the support of Olympic Solidarity of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), as an important opportunity for federation presidents to exchange ideas and strengthen their governance structures.
He said the knowledge gained from the seminar would be taken back to the respective federations for discussion at board level and implementation where necessary.
“Good governance has a lot of meaning. It has a lot of things to do with accountability and making progress for your national federation,” Gumel said.
He explained that the programme formed part of the NOC’s broader activities for the current Olympic cycle, noting that the committee had organised several seminars in recent years covering areas including women in sports and sports medicine.
“This is not the only one. After this one, there are other seminars coming up,” he said.
Gumel said the interaction between Nigerian sports administrators and the resource persons provided by Olympic Solidarity would ultimately benefit athletes representing the country at international competitions.
“We work together and get our information. Then we go back to the national federations and discuss it at board meetings so we can move forward and help our athletes to do well when they go outside the country to represent Nigeria,” he said.
Declaring the seminar open, NSC Director-General Bukola Olopade highlighted the importance of the collaboration between the NOC and NSC, saying it had contributed to improved relations within Nigerian sports administration.
According to Olopade, the partnership between both bodies resulted in what he described as “the most peaceful federation elections” in the country’s history.
He cited the recent resolution of issues surrounding the Nigeria Basketball Federation as another example of the ability of stakeholders to resolve differences in the interest of sports development.
Olopade stressed that athletes and their welfare must remain at the center of decisions taken by sports administrators.
“In our thought process, it has to be the love for the athletes, the welfare of the athletes and the thought process of ensuring that breadwinners are created through these various sports,” he said.
He added that sports could contribute significantly to nation-building by creating opportunities, supporting livelihoods, and improving the welfare of citizens.
“Nation-building starts with wealth creation. Nation-building starts with welfare. Through sports, we can achieve all of that,” Olopade said.
The NSC boss also used the occasion to draw the attention of federation presidents to Section 16 of the law establishing the National Sports Commission, particularly provisions relating to the licensing and operation of sports federations.
He said every sports federation was required to obtain a licence to operate through the NSC, while the country’s laws would take precedence where there was a conflict between national legislation and the regulations of an international federation.
Olopade urged federation presidents to familiarise themselves with the provisions and discuss them with their respective boards to prevent avoidable conflicts between federations and the sports authorities.
He warned that failure to comply with the relevant provisions could lead to the withdrawal of a federation’s operating licence.
“Every federation president should go and read Section 16 and discuss Section 16 in their various boards so that those clashes that tend to come up are prevented,” he said.
Olopade also pointed to the huge influence of sports on Nigerians, recalling the intense public reaction to Nigeria’s recent Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Madagascar.
He said the passion generated by sports demonstrated its capacity to unite Nigerians and create a positive platform for national development.
The two-day seminar brings together presidents of Nigerian sports federations to discuss governance, accountability, leadership, and other issues aimed at strengthening the administration of sports in the country.
Credit: leadership.ng
