NCS adopts draft 2020 Nigeria Sports Industry Policy, demands Intervention Fund

The National Council on Sports (NCS) has adopted the draft 2020 Nigeria Sports Industry Policy as amended, with its 10 policy thrust areas, which took cognisance of the industrialization agenda of the sports industry value chain with defined roles for the public, private and social Enterprise sectors.

The NCS adoption of the policy put together by the current Sports Minister, Sunday Dare, as part of efforts to make the sector business oriented, was one of the resolutions reached at the NSC meeting in Asaba on Friday.

The NCS appointed a committee to collate and incorporate the inputs of council members into the amended Nigeria Sports Industry Policy, with a delivery period of four weeks. Membership of the committee is drawn from representatives of the six geo-political zones; representative of the National Economic Summit Group (NESG); representative of NAPHER-SD; director, PMI (FMYSD); and Director, FEAD (FMYSD).

The council, which noted that the Sports Ministry is developing a national template for sports development to be driven by the states, urged minister to “seek for a Sports Development Intervention Fund akin to what the Federal Government provided for the youth sector.”

It also urged the Federal Government to approve one-time funding to build a multi-purpose hall in each state of the Federation, just as it called on the minister to liaise with its Education counterpart to ensure that every school in the country has adequate provision for sports arena.

On the rebirth of the National Headmasters Cup and the National Principals Cup, the NCS noted that the former would be a yearly competition amongst all pupils in both public and private primary schools, while the National Principals Cup is for students in both public and private secondary schools from the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

Noting the memorandum on the recognition of the certificates issued by the National Institute for Sports (NIS), the NCS also urged the sports ministry to interface with the Ministry of Education and the National Council on Establishment on the status of the certificates awarded by the (NIS). It also urged the NIS to interface with the relevant agencies to regularise and upgrade its courses.