The National Sports Commission is the
Nigerian
Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...
apex body responsible for regulating
sports
Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...
in the country, with
Alhassan Yakmut serving as the last Director-General before it was scrapped by the
Muhammadu Buhari
Muhammadu Buhari (born 17 December 1942) is a Nigerian politician and current president of Nigeria since 2015.
Buhari is a retired Nigerian Army major general who served as the country's military head of state from 31 December 1983 to 27 A ...
government in 2015. It is headed by the
Minister of Sports in
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
. Its origin dates as far back as 1910 with the creation of empire Day competition.
Some Notable Moments
*The first time Nigeria participated in an international sporting event was in
1934 Common Wealth and Empire Day Games held in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
.
*Nigeria first contingent participation was in
1950 Commonwealth Games,
1952 Olympics in
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
and 1965
All African Games in Brazzaville,
Congo
*National Sports Council was established in 1962, as a
parastatal
A state-owned enterprise (SOE) is a government entity which is established or nationalised by the ''national government'' or ''provincial government'' by an executive order or an act of legislation in order to earn profit for the government ...
under the Federal Ministry of Labour
*Became established as the National Sports Commission in 1971 (by the Federal Military Government Decree 34 of 1971)
*In 1975, Nigeria had her first Minister for Youth and Sports
*In 1995, The National Sport Commission was nulled and replaced with Ministry of Youth and Sports.
*In 2007, The Ministry for Sport and Social again nulled then replaced with the now National Sports Commission.
Name Changes
*National Sports Council (1962-1963)
*Ministry of Labour (1964 - 1971)
*National Sports Commission (1971- 1975)
*Ministry of Social Development, Youth and Sports (1975 - 1979)
*Ministry of Youth and Culture (1979 - 1982)
*Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture (1982 - 1990)
*Ministry of Youth and Sports (1990 - 1992)
*National Sports Commission (1992 - 1995)
*Ministry of Youth and Sports (1995 - 1999)
*Ministry of Sports and Social Development (1999 - 2007)
*National Sports Commission (2007–Present)
References
{{reflist
Government of Nigeria
Sports governing bodies in Nigeria