The Senate Committee on Sports has backed a proposal to increase the 2026 budget of the National Institute of Sports (NIS) from N2.8 billion to about N60 billion, while also calling for the National Sports Commission (NSC) to have a governing board in place before the end of the first quarter of the year, The PUNCH reports.
The endorsement came during a budget defence session at the National Assembly in Abuja on Thursday, where the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the NIS, Philip Shaibu, presented the institute’s financial projections and outlined plans to strengthen sports development.
According to a statement made available to The PUNCH by Ben Ogbemudia, Special Assistant on Media to the DG/CEO NIS, the Senate committee supported the upward review of the institute’s allocation in order to reposition it for improved performance.
The statement said, ‘The Nigerian Senate Committee on Sports on Thursday supported the significantly increased budget proposal for the National Institute of Sports (NIS) from N2.8 billion to approximately N60 billion in 2026 to enhance sports development’.
Shaibu told lawmakers that the additional funding would be channelled towards upgrading training facilities, improving infrastructure and enhancing preparations for international competitions.
He also said the institute planned to intensify the training of grassroots coaches in modern techniques and foundational sports knowledge.
‘Our mandate is to train manpower for the sports ecosystem and promote sports from the grassroots’, he said.
‘But we cannot achieve this without adequate government funding. We need a budget that reflects our vision and mission to improve sports in Nigeria’.
The former Edo State deputy governor urged legislators to support the institute in fulfilling its mandate, describing the NIS as central to the country’s sporting ambitions.
During the session, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Sports, Abdul Ningi, pledged to sponsor a motion for the resuscitation of the National Sports Commission board, arguing that the commission should not operate without proper governance structures.
He said the commission must not be run as a ‘one-man show’ and insisted that a board should be constituted by the end of the first quarter to oversee its affairs effectively.
‘Senator Abdul Ningi has promised to move a motion for the resuscitation of Board of the National Sports Commission, saying that the Commission should not be run like a one-man show’, the statement read.
‘By the first quarter of this year, the Commission should have a board to run its affairs’.
Shaibu also used the opportunity to reiterate the need for the urgent inauguration of the NSC board, saying a properly constituted body would provide the strategic direction and institutional stability required for long-term growth.
Earlier, during a separate appearance before the House Committee on Sports, he had stressed that persistent underfunding had limited the institute’s visibility and outreach across the states, constraining its ability to expand programmes.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Sports, Kabiru Amadu, described the NIS as a critical pillar of national sports development and expressed support for improved funding to enable it to discharge its responsibilities effectively.
Established in 1974, the National Institute of Sports serves as Nigeria’s premier training and research centre for sports development, with a mandate to produce qualified coaches, administrators and technical personnel to drive excellence in the sector.
