The Senate Committee on Sports Development has queried the National Sports Commission (NSC) and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) over their failure to honour invitations to appear before lawmakers investigating the finances and operations of the country’s sports sector.
The committee warned that continued disregard for legislative oversight could attract disciplinary action.
Chairman of the committee, Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central), expressed dissatisfaction during a meeting of the panel, describing the absence of officials from both organisations as unacceptable.
He revealed that separate invitation letters had been sent to the Chairman of the NSC, Mallam Shehu Dikko, and the Director-General, Bukola Olopade, to eliminate any confusion over who was expected to appear before the committee.
According to Senator Ningi, the explanations provided by the Commission for its absence were unsatisfactory and amounted to an attempt to frustrate the Senate’s constitutional oversight responsibilities.
He stressed that the repeated failure of key officials to appear before the committee had hindered lawmakers from carrying out their legislative duties effectively.
Committee members unanimously backed the chairman, insisting that the leadership of both the NSC and the NFF must appear before the panel to provide explanations regarding their finances and operations.
They maintained that transparency and accountability remain essential in the management of public resources allocated to sports development.
The committee directed the NSC to submit evidence of its approved budgets for 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026.
It also requested detailed records of budget releases during the same period, as well as documentation of funds disbursed to various sporting federations, including football, basketball, volleyball, boxing, judo and hockey.
The panel further demanded evidence of statutory federal government subventions to the federations.
In addition, Senator Ningi instructed the committee clerk to write to the Accountant-General of the Federation requesting comprehensive records of all releases made to the NSC from 2023 to date for verification.
The committee also asked the NFF to provide detailed appropriations and releases for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, along with a full breakdown of expenditure on the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers and the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
The committee said a new date would be communicated for officials of the NSC and the NFF to appear before the panel, reiterating that no government agency is exempt from the National Assembly’s constitutional oversight powers.
