The Senate Committee on Sports has demanded explanations from the leadership of the National Sports Commission (NSC) and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) over Nigeria’s recent football failures, despite increased government funding and financial incentives for players and officials.
The Independent Mirror reports that the committee held an emergency meeting on Wednesday with Shehu Dikko, Chairman of the NSC, and Ibrahim Gusau, President of the NFF, over the country’s football crisis.
The meeting was presided over by Abdul Ningi, Senator representing Bauchi Central and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Sports.
Speaking with journalists after the meeting, Ningi said the session was convened at the instance of Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Ningi said the meeting was a prelude to an explanation he would present to the Senate when plenary resumes next month on the state of sports, particularly football.
“I have the authority of the Senate President on this very important meeting, who recently asked me: ‘Senator Ningi, what is happening in sports, what is happening in football?’” he said.
The senator said the Senate was concerned about the Super Eagles’ failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the Super Falcons’ failure to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
He said the Federal Government had provided significant financial incentives to players and officials, including a $100,000 payment to each member of the Falcons delegation recently, while the sports budget had also been substantially increased.
“Recall, in a very long time, the government never compensated sportsmen and women, but the President, in his magnanimity, dished out a hundred thousand dollars each to players and officials,” Ningi said.
“I thought the President had done all that he could in motivating them. And also, as the Chairman of the Senate Committee, I’ve also seen that the President has almost quadrupled the budget of the sports ministry.”
The senator said one of the key issues discussed at the meeting was the strained relationship between the NSC and the NFF.
“I called them to close ranks, that is, the Nigerian Football Federation and the National Sports Commission, because as it is today, they are wide apart,” he said.
Ningi said both bodies were expected to engage further with the Presidency as part of efforts to resolve their differences.
He described the meeting as “work in progress”, saying the Senate would continue to monitor developments.
Ningi also questioned the NFF’s reliance on government funding, saying football should be able to generate sufficient revenue through partnerships and commercial opportunities.
“In most countries, football runs itself; they don’t need to wait for government intervention. Why are we different?” he asked.
He said other sports, including scrabble, golf, hockey and basketball, had demonstrated the ability to operate with greater financial independence.
The senator also said the Senate would seek clarification on whether funds appropriated for the NFF had been released.
Ningi said the Senate would consider calls by some football stakeholders for the NFF to be disbanded but stressed that any action must comply with Nigerian law and FIFA regulations.
“My concern is that whatever action we must do, we must do it within the limits of the law. We must look at our laws, and we must also look at the FIFA statutes,” he said.
He said the Senate’s objective was to ensure that any measures taken were implemented in a “civilised manner”.
Ningi said the committee would continue engaging with the NSC and NFF as it works towards repositioning Nigerian football and improving the performance of the country’s teams on the international stage.
The Cable.
