Many Nigerian sports federations depend on donations from international bodies, non-governmental groups, and sometimes Nigerian citizens in the Diaspora for critical sports equipment. CHRISTIAN OKPARA reports that getting these equipment has become easier than bringing them in due to the high customs charges and failure of stakeholders to explore waiver options.

Sports equipment are essential ingredients in sports development, especially at the grassroots. They are critical in equipping budding athletes as they build them into top stars.

To get these equipment, most of the federations rely on their world governing or international bodies, which donate a lot of materials for their development programmes, as well as kit their teams for major championships.

For instance, FIFA provides yearly subventions to its member countries, just as FIBA, ITTF, AFN, and ICC provide quarterly funds to the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), Nigerian Table Tennis Federation, Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), and the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF), respectively.

However, to most of these federations, the problem has now moved from getting these equipment from their international bodies or donors to clearing them at the seaports due to high customs duties, bureaucratic delays, and steep demurrage.

Because of this development, most international donors, including Nigerians resident abroad, have shied away from donating equipment to their Nigerian affiliates because they have watched as materials worth millions of dollars rot away at seaports because the receiving associations could not raise the demanded customs duties, and the Federal Government also failed to step in to help.

This is not a new development.

Historically, many sports federations and other stakeholders, especially ex-internationals, have faced challenges in bringing new or used sports equipment into the country, including equipment donated by International Non-Governmental Organisations (INGOs).

Over 20 years ago, basketball legend Hakeem Olajuwon brought in containerised basketball kits and gear to support local players and the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), but had to return several containers to the USA due to “exorbitant” charges.

Although the exact monetary value of the basketball equipment shipped by Olajuwon was not stated at the time, it was generally believed to be several thousand dollars.

Shedding light on the high tariffs that sports federations have to cough up, the President of the Nigerian Table Tennis Federation (NTTF), Dr Adesoji Tayo, said the federation paid over N30 million to clear a few tennis boards it used at the 2026 WTT Contender Lagos.

He added that the federation needs over N200 million to clear other equipment that are rotting at the ports. “These are equipment donated to us by international bodies. They are worth thousands of dollars, and it is demoralising that we cannot clear what we were given since we could not afford them. Do we now go back to the donors to help us clear them? That is why we have been calling on the Federal Government to give us waivers to bring in essential sports equipment.”

Tayo lamented that the inability of the federation to bring in its imported equipment has hampered grassroots development programmes.

He said: “Most of the equipment we use in table tennis are imported from either China or Germany. These include the floor, table tennis boards, the surround, communication equipment, umpire’s chairs, umpire’s tables, and the lights. And then we have, of course, the kits, the national team kits, t-shirts, polo shirts, winter jackets, shoes, and socks.

“So, when these sports equipment arrive at the ports, it will surprise you to know that we pay for everything, including clearing. We are forced to pay for these things even when we show them at the ports that these are sports equipment meant for the country, with Nigeria written on all of them. If some people have been nice enough to purchase equipment for Nigeria, how come we have to start looking for money to clear them? It’s really demoralising.”

He said that the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has been gracious in supporting their programmes with modern equipment, adding, however, that the body is not happy that Nigeria allows these kits and equipment to go to waste.

“The table tennis equipment is very fragile, and after one year, we don’t know what they will look like now. One competition table tennis now costs about N6 million, and for the WTT alone, we used 16 of them.”

The high cost of clearing imported sports equipment has denied Nigerian athletes the opportunity to train with world-standard equipment, which in effect hinders their performance during international championships.

One of the worst hit associations is the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN), which has had to forgo some vital equipment donated to them by international bodies and some countries affiliated to the sport.

BFN president, Francis Orbih, told The Guardian that his federation has lost a lot of equipment due to the stringent disposition of the Nigeria Customs Service at the port of entry, adding that they have been forced to devise other means of getting these materials into the country.

He said: “We lost very important mats because we could not pay the money the Customs demanded from us.

Before we knew what was happening, these materials were auctioned to other people even when we opted to buy them from the auctioneer. When we traced the buyer, we found out that he had already cut them into pieces because he didn’t know what they were meant for.”

“Now, we had to plead with our associates in Japan to ship any donation to us through their embassy to make it easier for us to get it.”

But the NCS was quick to absolve itself of blame levelled by sports federations. “We don’t determine the rate of duty of any item. If sports federations want exemption for any item, they should go to the Federal Ministry of Finance and get exemption for those items or duty waivers on them. Other than that, they will pay for every dutyable item based on the value of the goods. It is a standard way of charging dutyable goods all over the world.”

According to its spokesman Abdullahi Maiwada, the NCS uses common excellent tariff to determine the duty for every good costs, adding, “if your goods are 20 per cent rate of duty, we will not cost insurance and freight. We identify the customs value of those items based on any six criteria of customs valuation. We are trade facilitators for everyone, including those of them importing items that are sport-related. If they have not met the requirements, how does that become our own issue?”

Reacting to claims that the NSC has not stepped in to help the federations clear their equipment from the ports, its Director-General, Bukola Olapde, said that neither the table tennis federation nor the badminton federation had approached his office for help.

He said: “In fact, this is news to me because this year alone, with the NCS, we have cleared equipment worth millions of naira for rowing and more than three other different sports, including wheelchair basketball and rugby.

“We have cleared equipment donated by their international federations worth millions. Even the ones for the rowing federation were there for many years before we came into office. But my office was able to assist the federations to clear them. Nobody has brought to my knowledge anything about table tennis and badminton.

“Again, when federations collect money from states during festivals, and when they get money from sponsors (and international bodies), they should use some of the money to solve their problems instead of complaining. It’s not everything that they should complain to the media, and they cannot be spoon-fed always. If the international body has already given it to them, then they should be able to clear them.”

Also baring his mind on the development, a former African tennis champion, Dr Sadiq Abubakar Abdullahi, who lives in the United States, told The Guardian that because of the high cost of bringing sporting equipment into the country, most ex-stars in the Diaspora have limited the amount of sports equipment that they bring in.

While charging the NSC to explore ways of solving this problem that is hindering the development of the sector, he said: “One of the functions of the National Sports Commission (NSC) is to develop and implement national sports policies.

“A clear policy formulation, development and implementation inspires stakeholders to support the administration in accomplishing its goals and objectives. Some of the objectives include improved sports infrastructure, increased continental and international competitions, and improved athletes’ performance and welfare.

“In November 2022, the Federal Executive Council approved the National Sports Industry Policy (NSIP) 2022 to 2026. ⁠ The NSIP has provisions that include incentives, tax holiday, and waivers for certain fees on equipment meant for Sports. The NSC has failed to implement any of the provisions in the policy.”

Dr Abdullahi explained that the NSIP initiative is designed to attract ex-internationals, philanthropists and the private sector to participate in the development, improvement, and sustainability of Sports in Nigeria. He added: “I have advised the NSC Chairman, Shehu Dikko, to consider revising the NSIP to reflect current realities in the country.

For the President of FIBA Africa Zone 3, Col. Sam Ahmedu (Retd), the solution to this recurring problem lies in knowing what to do and doing the right thing.

Ahmedu said sports federations should not have any problem clearing their equipment if they start the process way before the materials arrive in the country,

He added that the process has become even easier with the president of the Nigerian Wrestling Federation, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, now the Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Customs Service.