No Board, No Credibility - Dan Ngerem Decries Lack of Governance in NSC

No Board, No Credibility - Dan Ngerem Decries Lack of Governance in NSC 

By Admin 

Former President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Dan Ngerem, has strongly criticized the current structure of the reconstituted National Sports Commission (NSC), describing it as a governance failure that poses significant risks to transparency, accountability, and investor confidence, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

In an exclusive interview with M4S TV, Ngerem expressed deep concern over the Commission’s leadership model, which currently operates without a governing board, relying solely on a chairman and director-general. He likened the situation to managing a multi-billion naira enterprise without the basic checks and balances of corporate governance.

“It’s an aberration that you can have two people running a National Sports Commission without a board,” Ngerem stated. “It’s like running a major corporation with billions of naira, a multi-million dollar corporation, without a board.”

Ngerem, who served on several reform committees—including one chaired by retired General Ishola Williams—said the absence of a board contradicts the core principles embedded in various sports policy documents and reform reports, including the Ogbemudia Report.

 “There’s an intrinsic architecture for the NSC clearly outlined in all the documents. Why ignore the need for a board now?” he questioned.

He warned that the leadership vacuum is a major deterrent to private sector investment in Nigerian sports, as corporate stakeholders demand structured accountability before committing resources.

“When someone says, ‘I’m the chairman of the NSC,’ investors ask, ‘Where’s your board?’ And when there isn’t one, they walk away,” he said. “There’s no corporate governance, no international best practices, and that fosters an environment of mismanagement.”

According to Ngerem, the current setup not only risks inefficiency but also opens the door to possible financial impropriety, particularly around international engagements and large-scale events.

“You don’t leave executives to run roughshod over a multi-billion dollar concept,” he warned. “A board must be installed to ensure oversight and transparency.”

Ngerem concluded by urging the federal government to urgently review the NSC structure and install a qualified, experienced board to restore credibility and attract much-needed private investment to Nigeria’s sports ecosystem.