President Bola Tinubu has written the Senate, seeking for legislation against doping geared towards the prevention of Nigerian athletes from consuming performance enhancing substances before or during sporting competitions.
His letter was read on Thursday by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, who presided over the plenary.
In the letter, which serves as an Executive Bill, the proposed National Anti-Doping Bill 2024 will regulate substances that can be consumed by athletes during sporting events.
According to the President, the bill will provide a legal framework for the establishment of the National Anti-Doping Organisation, an organisation that regulates sporting competitions, just as he explained that the establishment of the agency was a requirement for Nigeria to achieve compliance with the World Anti-Doping Code.
The World Anti-Doping Code (Code) is the core document that harmonises anti-doping policies, rules and regulations within sport organizations and among public authorities around the world.
President Tinubu, who noted that the law would help Nigeria avoid the imposition of signatory consequences, inclusion of laws of hosting and participating rights at regional, continental and world championships or major athletic events, said, “in accordance with the provisions of section 58 (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended, I forward herewith the National Anti-Doping Bill 2024 for the kind consideration of the Senate.
“The National Anti-Doping Bill 2024 seeks to create an administratively independent National Anti-Doping organization which is a cardinal requirement for Nigeria to achieve compliance with the World Anti-Doping Code and the international standard for code compliance by signatures.
“The enactment of this vital legislation will also help Nigeria avoid the imposition of signatory consequences, inclusion of laws of hosting and participating rights at regional, continental and world championships or major athletic events”, he said.
The President, who specifically urged the lawmakers to consider the bill before the Olympic Games seminar scheduled to be held in Paris in July for Nigerians to be part of the competition, said: “It is my hope that this submission will receive the humankind expeditious consideration of the distinguished members of the Senate of the Federal Nigeria for passage of the same to law before the Olympic Games seminar in Paris in July 2024″.
