Sports

Ekeji Hails Dissolution of Sports Federations

Published

6 years ago

April 30, 2021

Former Nigeria international and retired Director-General of the defunct National Sports Commission (NSC), Dr. Patrick Ekeji has hailed the dissolution of the National Sports Federations by the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Chief Sunday Dare.

The Sports Federations were dissolved Friday by the Sports Minister and caretaker committees set up to oversee their affairs until after the Tokyo Olympic Games scheduled for late July and early August.

Nigerians have been divided over the constitutionality of the action of the Sports Minister but Dr Ekeji says the controversy is needless because of the extant laws that guide the federations.

”In so far as the terminal locus of sports federations remain the way they presently are, other than the Nigeria Football Federation,the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development is at liberty to dissolve boards any time from the expiration of the tenure that ushered them in. No more no less,’said Dr Ekeji.

The dissolved boards of the sports federations were inaugurated in June 2017 and their tenure is scheduled to expire this June with new executive boards sworn in.

While a few of the sports federations have their constitutions which will serve as guide in the conduct of the elections,the remaining federations will be guided by the Code of Governance for Sports which the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development used in the conduct of the elections that ushered them in in 2017.

”As far as I know, in so far as the elected federations tenure is run out and it is stated in their Constitution, the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development can dissolve, or for any reason extend their tenure. That’s what can no longer happen with the NFF,’Dr Ekeji added.

The Athletics Federation of Nigeria is among the about seven sports federations that have its constitution and article 10.4 of the constitution (2017) empowered the Sports Minister to dissolve the board.

Article 10.4 of the AFN constitution titled Dissolution reads thus:The AFN board may be dissolved by the pronouncement of the FMYSD at the expiration of four years of ofice in line with the Olympic cycle’.

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Sports

Tinubu, Fashola, Governors, UNESCO, Sports Leaders to Headline National Grassroots Sports Summit

Published

15 hours ago

October 29, 2026

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The stage is being set for a landmark gathering at the Presidential Villa as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former Lagos State Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, and leading figures from government, sports administration and international development feature in the proposed opening-day programme of the National Grassroots Sports Development Summit 2026.

In a statement signed by Thursday by the Chairperson Media Sub-com National Grassroot Sports Summit Dr. (Mrs.) Kehinde Ajayi stated that, the two-day Summit, scheduled for November 18–19, 2026, at the Banquet Hall, State House, Presidential Villa, Abuja, is being organized by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Grassroots Sports Development, Hon. Adeyinka Anthony Adeboye.

With the theme “Creating a New Pathway for Sustainable Grassroots Sports Development,” the gathering seeks to produce practical solutions to Nigeria’s longstanding challenges in talent discovery, infrastructure, funding, coaching and athlete development.

The opening day, Wednesday, November 18, promises high-level engagement, with President Tinubu listed as Special Guest of Honour, while Fashola is scheduled to deliver a keynote address.

Also featuring in the Day One programme is Dr. Tayo Aduloju, Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), whose organization has been engaged as technical partner to help translate discussions into a workable development roadmap.

Other personalities and institutions on the opening-day lineup include the Chairman and Director-General of the National Sports Commission, Mallam Shehu Dikko and Hon. Bukola Olopade; the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum; the President of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON); and the Head of Office and UNESCO Representative to Nigeria.

Also listed are Barrister Enitan Oshodi, President of the African Table Tennis Federation; the President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee; and Dr. Musa Nakorji of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Research Department.

The involvement of these personalities reflects the Summit’s emphasis on connecting sports development with economic planning, education, grassroots governance, international cooperation and private-sector investment.

Adeboye described the gathering as an opportunity to move Nigerian sports beyond isolated achievements towards a coordinated national development system.

“The real question is not whether Nigeria has sporting talent.
We know we have talent in abundance. The question is how we build a system that discovers, nurtures and supports that talent consistently, from our communities and schools to the international stage,” he said.

He stressed that the participation of state governments, local councils, development institutions and sports administrators would be critical to producing lasting outcomes.

The Summit will continue on Thursday, November 19, with further stakeholder engagements aimed at developing actionable recommendations for sustainable grassroots sports development with preparations intensifying, organizers are confident that the gathering will provide a defining platform for strengthening the foundation of Nigerian sports and expanding opportunities for young people nationwide.

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