EFCC moves to strengthen oversight of sports funds, tasks NSC on compliance

By Adebola Isimijola, Lagos

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has commenced moves to strengthen transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s sports sector, with its Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, directing the National Sports Commission (NSC) to embrace strict regulatory compliance and fraud prevention measures.

The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, on Friday said the commission would work closely with the National Sports Commission (NSC) to prevent financial misconduct and strengthen accountability in the management of sports funds.

Olukoyede spoke in Abuja while receiving the Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, and members of the commission’s management team during a courtesy visit to the EFCC headquarters.

The EFCC chairman disclosed that the agency’s Department of Fraud Risk Assessment and Control (FRAC) would assist the NSC in developing compliance templates and risk-management mechanisms covering procurement processes, contract awards and fund administration.

“We always want to engage in the spirit of working together. The EFCC has had cause to investigate some of your predecessors and some of the case files are still alive. There is the need for us to work together so that issues that may attract investigations can be prevented from the outset,” Olukoyede said.

He expressed concern over the alleged mismanagement of grants, subventions and financial rewards received from international sporting bodies in the past, warning that such practices must not be allowed to recur.
According to him, the anti-graft agency would also review areas of potential vulnerability in contracts, memoranda of understanding and the operations of the newly established National Anti-Doping Agency.

“Prevention is better than cure. People will want to hear that the EFCC is investigating the NSC. I think we should avoid that going forward by putting the right structures and processes in place from day one,” he said.

Olukoyede, however, commended the current NSC leadership for reforms that have attracted increasing private-sector participation in sports development.

“I have seen changes. You have been changing the face of sports in Nigeria very drastically. Corporate bodies are now willing to support and sponsor sporting activities in the country,” he added.

In his response, Dikko said the commission was pursuing strategic partnerships with relevant institutions to advance the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Initiative for Sports and improve governance in the sector.

He said the NSC had established an independent integrity board to promote transparency and accountability.

“I am here because we want to clean the system for the first time. We are putting structures in place to ensure that everything is done appropriately,” Dikko said.

The NSC chairman noted that sports should be viewed not merely as a recreational activity but as a strategic sector capable of driving economic growth, creating jobs and promoting national unity.

He stressed the need for stronger collaboration between government agencies and the private sector to unlock the full potential of sports development in Nigeria.