Dissolved by Buhari, resurrected by Tinubu, things to know about National Sports Commission

The National Sports Commission (NSC) was Nigeria’s top regulatory body for sports, responsible for overseeing the development and promotion of sports nationwide before it was dissolved in 2015 by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari. The then Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung, had said “by its merger with the Ministry of Youth, the commission […]

The National Sports Commission (NSC) was Nigeria’s top regulatory body for sports, responsible for overseeing the development and promotion of sports nationwide before it was dissolved in 2015 by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

The then Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung, had said “by its merger with the Ministry of Youth, the commission and the office of the Director-General were equally annulled.

The NSC was formally created in 1962 as a parastatal under the Federal Ministry of Labour and later reconstituted as the National Sports Commission through Decree 34 of 1971 by the Federal Military Government.

This followed its dissolution in 1995 when the government of the late General Sani Abacha established the Ministry of Youth and Sports. It was later revived in 2007 by President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration to replace the Ministry of Sports and Social Development. However, it never received formal legal backing through an act of the National Assembly, which again led to its dissolution in 2015.

The NSC shaped Nigeria’s sports development through policies, event organisation, and elite athlete support, while managing key sports facilities like stadiums and arenas, ensuring high-quality infrastructure. It worked closely with national sports federations to coordinate sports programmes and represent Nigeria in international sports organisations, advocating for the country’s interests on the global stage.