The National Sports Commission (NSC) has taken a significant step towards ensuring transparent and credible elections for National Sports Federations (NSFs) by inaugurating an Electoral Committee. This committee will oversee the electoral process, ensuring adherence to established guidelines and regulations.
The Newly inuarguated committee has been saddled with the responsibility of conducting a hitch free and transparent Elections into 20 National Sports Federations including Aquatics, Chess, Handball, Golf, karate, Darts, Fives and Tennis.
Others are wrestling, Wushu Kung Fu, Scrabble, Hockey, Badminton, Boxing , Taekwondo, Squash Rackets, Traditional Sports Rugby, Kickboxing and Deaf Sports.
Chairman of the National Sports Commission, NSC, Mallam Shehu Dikko, after officially inaugurating the Committee, expressed confidence that he has no doubt that they will do a good job to oversee a successful process.
” We have succeeded in choosing a very balanced and compact team for this assignment because we want to set a new standard of how Federation Elections are conducted with topmost integrity and transparency”.
” Myself and my brother the DG were appointed here by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GFCR, to do things differently and change the way sports are being run professionally. This is why everything we do, professionally must be at the forefront”.
” As a commission we have no partisan interest. Myself and the DG have no interest rather than to ensure we have people elected who are aligned to our vision of building a sustainable sports economy in line with the mandate given to us by Mr President.This is our only interest. We will not interfere in the process but will only give guidance because we have a vision and we want only people that understand the vision”.
In his remarks, Director General of the NSC, Hon. Bukola Olopade, maintained that the Commission was very meticulous in putting up the Committee and re-echoed the Chairman’s optimism in the committee’s ability to deliver crises-free polls.
” We are very intentional about everything we are doing at the commission and putting up this robust team for these elections is one of them”.
” We wanted a very astute team that can stand every challenge that comes with elections of this magnitude and this is exactly what we have put together with this committee that is chaired by Dr Simon Ebhonjaiye, a very experienced sports administrator and technocrat alongside other members”.
Chairman of the Electoral committee Dr Simon Ebhojiaye assured the Commission that his team will bring all their wealth of experience and expertise to bear to do a good job in conducting the elections.
” I have no doubt that the decision of the NSC to put the individuals in this committee together will yield the expected results of conducting a hitch free elections”.
“We will follow the commission’s guidelines strictly and we will work very hard to deliver a good job that both the Commission and Nigerians will be proud of”, he assured.
Other members of the Electoral Committee include; the Vice Chairman, Barrister Samson Ebomhe, Lawal Waheed, Hon Tunde Popoola, Barrister Maryam Orotope Paul, Farouk Yelima and the Secretary, Rita Mosindi.
