The Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, SWAN, has called on the National Sports Commission, NSC, to urgently inaugurate its 17 member governing board,
Making the demand via a statement issued on Sunday, by the leadership of the association, SWAN warned that the prolonged delay violates the NSC Establishment Act 2023 and undermines transparency in sports administration.
Signed by SWAN Secretary-General, Ambassador Ikenna Okonkwo, on behalf of President Isaiah Benjamin, the association noted that the Commission has been operating without a statutory board since its creation in October 2024.
“As a statutory board member of the NSC, I am compelled to urge the Chairman and Director-General to take all necessary steps to inaugurate the board without further delay.
Operating without a duly constituted board for nearly a year is not only a breach of the law but also undermines transparency and accountability”, the statement read.
Citing Section 2(1) of the Act, SWAN stressed that the board’s composition must include representatives from government ministries, sports bodies, the organised private sector, academia, the medical field, the military, persons with disabilities, the Nigeria Football Federation, the Professional Footballers Association of Nigeria, and SWAN itself.
The association warned that all major decisions taken by the Commission since October 2024 “lack legal backing” and linked the situation to broader governance lapses in Nigerian sports, including unresolved litigation involving the Nigeria Football Federation and controversies surrounding the Athletics Federation of Nigeria elections.
“The NSC cannot continue to function as a two-man entity comprising only the Chairman and the Director-General while 15 other constitutionally mandated positions remain unfilled,” Benjamin said, insisting the matter would remain “on the front burner until the law is obeyed.”
SWAN also expressed concern over its exclusion from operational decisions, particularly in the appointment of qualified communication managers for sports federations, which it said would boost media promotion and attract sponsorships.
The association also condemned what it described as a “political or non-professional approach” in the Commission’s daily operations, stressing that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s approval of the NSC was meant to ensure accelerated and holistic sports development, free from past bureaucratic bottlenecks.
