FG slashes N378m from sports budget

…Allocates N9.23b to NSC, NFA, NIS

By ROMANUS UGWU, Abuja

Federal Government has slashed budgetary allocation to the trio of National Sports Commission (NSC), the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) and the National Institute of Sports (NIS) by N378 million for the 2013 fiscal year.

In the document sourced from the budget office, the Federal Government allocated N9.234 billion against the N9.612 billion budget it allocated to sports in the year 2012, slashing N378 million.

According the document, while N6.8 billion was allocated to the NSC; the Aminu Maigari-led football federation would receive N1.903 billion, just as the NIS gets N562 million. Replicating almost 2012 budgetary template, the sports commission got N6.7 million for refreshment, sitting allowance, meals, honorarium and sitting allowances, the football federation got N1.58 billion to prosecute its sporting activities next year.

The commission equally proved its readiness to battle troublemakers to standstill next year as it set aside N2.973 million for legal services, just as it also voted N1,85 billion in its Capital Expenditure for purchase/acquisition of land in a yet to be specified city.

The document also revealed that the commission would be spending N1.240 billion on personnel cost, N3,677 billion as recurrent expenditure, while N1,850 billion goes to Capital spending in the 2013 annual budget.

There is also good news over the lingering completion of the Athletes Hostel in the Federal Capital Territory Abuja, as the Commission earmarked N600 million for the project, just as the maintenance of the six federal stadia in Abuja, Lagos, Enugu, Bauchi, Ibadan and Kaduna would gulp N1 billion. According to the document, the Commission would expend N150 million on the construction of zonal sports offices, just as the completion of the construction of ANOCA headquarters in Abuja would gulp N100 million.