Sports Federation chiefs open can of worms 'Reveal financial lapses, NIS indicted

HOUSE Committee on Sports was on Wednesday stunned by revelations that some heads of sporting Federations in the country could not defend their budgetary allocations.The Committee had met with Federation chiefs to discuss the accounts of the sporting bodies in the last three years.One of the Federation chiefs confided in Tribunesports that they were at the mercy of the National Sports Commission,(NSC) as far as financial responsibilities were concerned.''In athletics, wrestling, handball, boxing, taekwondo, we got zero allocation, we do not know the sum allocated to us but depend on what the NSC approves for us,'' he revealed.President, Athletics Federation of Nigeria, AFN, Solomon Ogba, explained that until the meeting with the Committee on Wednesday, he was unaware that some Federations got imprest to run their offices.''For two years that I have been leading the AFN, I have spent over N100m. I am surprised that Powerlifting Federation got an appropriation of N32.7m while we have only got N2m in two years''.Meanwhile, Executive Director, National Institute of Sports (NIS), Dr Isaac Ikhioya revealed his displeasure with the NSC for hijacking its responsibilities.''The money meant for the provision of the tartan track at the NIS has been diverted and just recently, the NSC issued certificates to participants of a course jointly organized by the NSC and Supersports of South Africa."In the real sense, it is the duty of the NIS to enter into such collaborations with foreign institute,' he said.Deputy Chairman of the Committee, Ayo Omidiran warned that the NIS may have explanations to make at the Federal Character Commission over what she described as lopsidedness in staff recruitment structure.
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