… Calls for Constitution Of NSC Board
The Director-General of the National Institute of Sports (NIS), Comrade Philip Shuaibu, has made a plea for increased funding in all facets of the nation’s sports.
He argued that better funding of the NIS is required, for the repositioning of the institute, and advance sports development in Nigeria.
Comrade Shuaibu made the call, while making a defence for the 2026 budget, at a session with the House Committee on Sports, on Wednesday.
The Director General who reaffirmed the institute’s commitment to fulfilling its mandate of training manpower (coaches and administrators) for the sports ecosystem in the country, with a view to promoting grassroots sports development, stressed that inadequate funding remains a major constraint slowing down the growth of the Sports sector.
According to him, a properly constituted board of both the NIS, and national Sports Commission (NIS) would provide strategic direction, and the institutional stability necessary for long-term planning, and rapid sports development.
Comrade Shuaibu, who is also the immediate past Deputy Governor of Edo State, commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the the House Committee on Sports for their continued support; and prayed for the speedy constitution of the board.
He argued “Doing so, is absolutely necessary, in the sense that the full-fledged boards of the National Sports Commission, would play a critical role in revitalising the sector, across board, as the seventeen-man board represents all the facets of the nation’s diverse sports sector.
In his remarks, the Chairman, House Committee on Sports, Kabiru Amadu decried the poor funding of the institute (NIS) over the years, describing it as a critical pillar in national sports development.
Amadu emphasized the need for increased budgetary allocation to enable the NIS discharge its responsibilities effectively and pledged the committee’s commitment to working with relevant stakeholders to improve its funding for optimal performance.