Former African tennis champion, Dr Sadiq Abdullahi, has described the Federal Government’s N31.24 billion budget for sports as a sign that the country is not ready to develop the sector into big business.

The Federal Government awarded N31.24 billion for the ministry’s headquarters and agencies, including the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the Nigeria Institute for Sports (NIS).

According to details, N3.24 billion is proposed for personnel costs, N7.91 billion for overheads and N20 billion is for capital expenditure.

The Sports Ministry’s headquarters was allocated N28.53 billion, the NFF got N1.55 billion and the NIS got N1.15 billion.

In the breakdown of the capital expenditure, the ministry headquarters will implement 109 projects (77 ongoing and 32 new ones) with N19.57 billion, the NIS will complete seven ongoing projects with N303.84 million, while the NFF will execute seven projects (three ongoing and four new) with N127.53 million.

According to Abdullahi, the allocation to sports is about 0.11 per cent of the country’s budget, but the funds, if released on time, cannot turn the sector into the big business as enshrined in the National Sports Industry Policy.

“Many people may not see what this poor allocation means to Nigerian sports industry.

“They’ll only see when other activities spring up within the industry with budget/revenue higher than the ministry’s yearly budget. We see it because we are facilitating those activities,” he said.

Abdullahi said that MTN’s corporate income tax for 2021, N99 billion, is three times higher than the ministry’s budget, adding, “the prize pool for 2024 Australia Open, $54 million, is more than the ministry’s budget. When they eventually complete the Lagos stadium, I can bet that the cost will be more than the ministry’s yearly budget.

“What this says to me is that the role of the Federal Government in sports development is gradually shrinking…yet the sports practitioners don’t see it.

“This is the smallest ministry by budget. It really shouldn’t exist as a ministry. If this budget is to be well studied in all fairness, you will know that attention is rarely given to sport. This ministry is newly approved to stand on its own, yet its budget is N31 billion.”

The Guardian recalls that immediate past sports minister, Sunday Dare, projected before he left office that it would take about N20 billion to get the National Stadium, Lagos, back to shape. What that means is that the stadium’s rehabilitation is not captured in the budget, else the ministry would be left with a paltry N11 billion for its other activities.

Abdullahi said 2024, being an Olympic and African Games’ year, the ministry should have received much more than the sum allocated to it.

Abdullahi acknowledged that sports budget is higher than that of Communications (N28), Art and Culture (N25b), Special Duties (N12b), Women Affairs (N10b), Tourism (N11b), Mineral Resources (N25b), Labour (N29b) and Steel Development (N22b), among others, adding, however, that such comparison is wrong given that they have different sources of revenue. “And the detail of the budget has shown that,” he said.

Abdullahi said: “We recommended in the 2022-2026 National Sports Industry Policy that sports should get three to 3.5 per cent of the national budget. 0.11 per cent is not close. If you look at the six priority areas, you will understand why we are screaming.”