SWAN Urges Immediate Inauguration Of National Sports Commission Board
The Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) has called on the National Sports Commission (NSC) to urgently inaugurate its 17-member governing board, warning that operating without it is a breach of the law.
SWAN President, Isaiah Benjamin, speaking through Secretary-General Ikenna Okonkwo on Sunday, said the Commission has been running without a statutory board since its establishment in October 2024, contrary to the NSC Establishment Act 2023.
“Operating without a duly constituted board for nearly a year undermines transparency, accountability, and the very spirit of the law,” Benjamin stated.
He stressed that the Act clearly outlines the board’s composition, which includes representatives from ministries, sports bodies, the private sector, academia, the military, persons with disabilities, and professional sports associations such as SWAN.
Benjamin warned that all major decisions taken since the NSC’s creation “lack legal backing” and criticised what he described as a “two-man operation” between the Chairman and Director-General while 15 other statutory positions remain vacant.
SWAN also decried the sidelining of professional sports journalists in managing media operations for sports federations, calling it a missed opportunity to boost sponsorship and digital engagement.
“The NSC must not return to the days of bureaucratic bottlenecks and political interference,” Benjamin said, urging the Commission to align with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision for accelerated sports development.
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