The chairman of Nigeria’s National Sports Commission (NSC), Mallam Shehu Dikko has disclosed that the organisation has embarked on efforts to instil integrity into the sector, while using it as a preventive tool against unethical practices.
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Sports247 reports that Dikko disclosed this and other reformative policies of the NSC while holding talks with the chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, with a view towards assisting in eradicating corruption from the country.
Dikko added that the talks were aimed at boosting integrity and ethics in Nigeria’s sports participation, management and administration at all levels across the country.
While also noting the need for integrity in the country’s entire sports and social ecosystem, Dikko explained that the NSC was established based on a strategic vision, set objectives and projected outcomes on transformation in Nigeria as a whole.
Dikko further stressed the need for integrity in Nigeria’s sports sector due to the role in plays as a major force in shaping the country’s economy and driving social development, which he recalled informed the NSC’s establishment by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“In October 2024, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR took the bold decision to scrap the Sports Ministry and set up National Sports Commission to change the entire sporting ecosystem, harness the potentials of sports economy and make sports one of the key drivers of the economy.
“We developed a clear strategic plan of action and set up the Renewed Hope Initiative for Nigeria Sports Economy (RHINSE) framework with three pillars of reset, refocus and relaunch to meet the mandate of the President. This means that sports is now treated as a national asset.
“Being an asset, the sector should contribute at least 3% of the nation’s GDP annually, create millions of jobs, attract investment and generally be a driver of economic advancement across several sectors. Therefore, sports is now beyond the competitions. It has to be clean and ethical to attract and sustain investors,” Dikko asserted.
He concluded by pointing out the need for closer collaboration between the EFFC and NSC towards cleansing the Nigerian society in general, while also using sports as a virile tool for reformation and social responsibility.
“This is why the President speedily assented to the Nigeria Antidoping Bill into law which had been in the works for over 20 years but under the watch of the President it was duly concluded.
“This consequently set up the National Antidoping Centre, all geared towards making sports clean and to ensure that Nigeria is compliant with the global benchmarks.
“We have also set up the NSC Independent Sports Integrity Board to ensure that there is integrity and compliance in the sector and be a preventative tool against any unethical practices. We have, therefore, come to collaborate with the EFCC to this effect among others,” Dikko stated.
He also further appealed to Olukoyede to keep supporting EFCC Football Club in the domestic league and promised to provide any strategic support that may be needed to ensure that the club returns to its glorious heights.
