Sports federations' autonomy coming soon - Gimba

Akeem Oyetunji, Abuja - 25.04.2008

The era of sports federations being controlled by the National Sports Commission (NSC) may soon be over, should the National Assembly pass into law a new bill being proposed to reorganise the NSC.

Sports Minister who doubles as NSC chairman, Barrister Abdulrahman Gimba, who disclosed this on Thursday while speaking at the first Sports Tourism Conference in Abuja, said NSC would only be a regulatory body when the bill was passed into law.

The proposed bill, he disclosed further, focused on arbitration to ensure that controversies over signing of contract became a thing of the past.

He, however, noted that if sports tourism project must succeed, the issue of security must be addressed, as tourists would visit only countries that are secured.

The Director-General of the NSC, Dr. Amos Adamu, in his presentation on ‘Government Role In Bidding For and Hosting International Sports Events’, said every responsible and responsive government must be interested in hosting, on a regular basis sporting events because of the huge economic benefits derivable from such.

Hosting international sporting events, the newly-installed WAFU President noted, was not an NSC responsibility alone, saying several ministries and agencies of government would be involved and thus, should be embraced by all.

Dr. Adamu, therefore, expressed the resolve of the NSC to continue working in partnership with the private sector in bidding for and hosting international sporting events in other to put facilities on ground to use at all times.