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.