Reps Committee on Sports Reviews 2025 Performance, Hails 92% Increase in 2026 Sports Budget

The House of Representatives Committee on Sports on Wednesday convened a budget defence session with key agencies under its oversight, including the National Sports Commission (NSC), the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), and the National Institute of Sports (NIS).

The session, chaired by Hon. Kabiru Amadu, focused on reviewing the agencies’ performance under the 2025 budget and scrutinising their proposed allocations for the 2026 fiscal year.

Members of the Committee commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the proposed 92 per cent increase in the national sports budget, which rises to ₦203 billion in 2026 from ₦105 billion in 2025. Lawmakers described the increase as a major step toward revitalising Nigeria’s sports sector.

During the session, the National Sports Commission, led by Chairman Malam Shehu Dikko; the Nigeria Football Federation, under President Ibrahim Gusau; and the National Institute of Sports, headed by Director General Philip Shuaibu, presented detailed breakdowns of their 2025 expenditures and outlined strategic priorities for the 2026 fiscal year.

Key focus areas identified in the proposed 2026 budgets include:

Upgrading and rehabilitation of sports facilities nationwide

Expansion of youth development programmes

Promotion of grassroots sports initiatives

Enhancement of training programmes for coaches and athletes

Development of a sustainable sports economy

The Committee noted that long-standing challenges in the sports sector must be addressed decisively. These include:

Deterioration of sports infrastructure, particularly national stadia

Recurring disputes over unpaid bonuses and allowances for athletes and officials

Inadequate funding for more than 40 sports federations

Absence of sustainable development frameworks

Shortages of trained technical and administrative personnel

Lawmakers also described 2025 as a turning point for Nigerian sports, citing notable achievements such as:

A record 373 medals won by Nigerian athletes at international competitions — the highest in the country’s history

The repositioning of the National Institute of Sports

Restoration of full compliance with international anti-doping standards

The budget defence session lasted approximately six hours, with members of the Committee actively engaging agency heads on performance benchmarks, accountability mechanisms, and implementation strategies for the 2026 fiscal year.

Samuel Ahmadu

Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.

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