Youth and Sports Development Minister Sunday Dare on Thursday called for an independent National Sports Commission (CNS) to develop the sector.
He made the appeal during a public hearing organized by the Senate Committee on Sports and Youth Development, chaired by Senator Obinna Ogba.
The hearing focused on two bills: the National Sports Commission Establishment Bill, 2020 and the Federal Sports University, Nkalagu, the Ebonyi Establishment Bill, 2020.
Dare said: “We have to put in place a commission that is contemporary, that can develop our sports in a deliberate way and radically deviate from what we have before. “
He said the currently envisioned sports commission needs to be restructured in a way that is capable of doing the work of repositioning the agenda as the ministry set out in the National Sports Industry Policy (NSIP). .
“This is because we have to move away from the narrow definition of the job description. “
He added that the ministry was working with industry stakeholders to give Nigeria a new sports policy.
“As a ministry, we have worked with key stakeholders to bring our country a new sports industry policy, dubbed the Nigerian Sports Industry Policy (NSIP).
“This, we hope, will change the scope of our sport development. We intend to build a business model around sport in Nigeria so that we can be on the same path as North America, Europe and other climates. “
Declaring the hearing open, Senate Speaker Ahmad Lawan said sport has become a tool of influence and commercial endeavor.
Lawan, who was represented by Senate Minority Whip Senator Philip Aduda, called for good governance and a political framework to develop the sector. (NAN)
