By Gift ChapiOdekina, Abuja
The House of Representatives Committee on Sports has increased the 2026 budget proposal of the National Institute of Sports (NIS) from ₦2.8 billion to about ₦60 billion, citing the need to reposition the institute as a key driver of sports development in Nigeria.
Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Kabiru Ahmadu, disclosed the upward review on Wednesday, stating that the decision was taken in collaboration with the institute’s management and after consultations with the Budget Office of the Federation.
Ahmadu commended the NIS leadership for implementing reforms that have begun yielding visible results, stressing that improved funding is necessary to sustain the momentum. He praised the Director-General, Philip Shuaibu, for what he described as a significant turnaround in the institute’s operations.
“The new Director-General has expanded the institute’s activities and repositioned it for greater impact. Despite the non-release of capital funds for 2025, the institute achieved remarkable progress,” Ahmadu said.
Established in 1974, the NIS is Nigeria’s foremost training and research centre for sports development, mandated to produce qualified coaches, administrators, and technical personnel.
Presenting the institute’s estimates, Shuaibu, a former Deputy Governor of Edo State, appealed for increased funding, revealing that its 2025 capital allocation had not been released. He said his administration had introduced a 10-year strategic development plan to reposition the institute for sustainable growth.
Shuaibu linked Nigeria’s recent underperformance in sports to the prolonged dysfunction of the institute, noting efforts to revive the Athletes Development Centre, which he described as being in a deplorable condition.
“Our mandate is to train manpower for the sports ecosystem and promote grassroots development, but we cannot achieve this without adequate funding,” he said.
He also called for the speedy constitution of the board of the National Sports Commission to provide strategic direction and institutional stability.
Describing the NIS as the lifeline of sports development in Nigeria, Shuaibu urged the Federal Government to prioritize the institute to enhance the country’s competitiveness in local and international sports.
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