Abuja:The Director-General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Bukola Olapade, has encouraged presidents of National Sports Federations to adopt good governance and accountability to boost investment and advance sports development in Nigeria. This call was made during a two-day governance and leadership seminar organized by the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) in Abuja.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Olapade emphasized that good governance is crucial for repositioning sports as a significant contributor to Nigeria’s economic growth and national development. He highlighted that sports have the potential to attract significant investment and promote national unity, citing the public’s enthusiastic response to the national football team’s performance as evidence of sports’ unifying power.
Olapade commended the NOC for hosting the seminar and urged federation presidents to collaborate to enhance sports administration. He underscored the importance of understanding Section 16 of the law establishing th
e NSC to clarify the roles and responsibilities among the commission, the NOC, and the federations.
NOC President Habu Gumel stated that the seminar aimed to bolster accountability, transparency, and administrative efficiency across national sports federations. Facilitated by an instructor from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the program was designed to equip participants with the knowledge to better their administrative and operational capacities. Gumel encouraged active participation from federation presidents to maximize the seminar’s benefits.
Donald Rukare, President of Commonwealth Sport and the Uganda Olympic Committee, also spoke at the seminar. He highlighted the opportunity for sports administrators to share experiences and learn best practices in governance and leadership. Rukare explained that the seminar would explore how national federations integrate into national, regional, and international sports governance systems and would focus on best practices such as holding annual general
assemblies and developing administrative policies.
Rukare emphasized that the program aimed to promote compliance with established regulations and encourage sound administrative practices, contributing to improved governance across Nigerian sports federations and beyond. The seminar gathered federation presidents to discuss governance, leadership, and the roles and responsibilities of sports administrators.