Tinubu Approves 300% Increase For Sports In 2025 Budget

Tinubu Approves 300% Increase For Sports In 2025 Budget

By Admin

President Bola Tinubu approved an unprecedented budget of N94.9 billion for sports in 2025 in a bold step to revitalise the sector but the breakdown of expenditures is capable of sparking a nationwide debate on priorities and accountability following the curious allocation of bogus funds to administrative and operational expenses.

New Telegraph can report that the historic N94.9 billion is a sharp increase from last year’s N31.24 billion but a thorough analysis of the document by our correspondent revealed that a substantial portion of this budget is earmarked for items unrelated to direct sporting activities.

In the document being worked upon by the National Assembly, one of the most striking allocations is N3.65 billion for the purchase of vehicles by the Commission.

Under the Maintenance Services – General heading with code number 220204 , the purchase of vehicles is accompanied by N130 million for vehicle maintenance and N600 million for motor vehicle fuel costs.

In all, N885.3million will be spent on oil and lubricants including fueling of plants and generators. The budget also sets aside N100 million for refreshments and meals, alongside N350 million for honorarium and sitting allowances.

Additionally, welfare packages will gulp N500 million. N120 million is budgeted for publicity and advertisements while legal services are projected to cost N140 million.

Generally, N23.8billion is set aside for the provision of office buildings, sporting facilities and infrastructure while another N18.59 billion has been allocated for the rehabilitation and repair of fixed assets.

In a separate envelope, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) gets an N2.25 billion budget for 2025 while the National Institute for Sports is expected to spend N1.88 billion.

Another interesting aspect of the budget is that it was prepared in the name of the Ministry of Sports Development which was scrapped about two months ago. However, some of the other elements are captured the NSC.

Credit - New Telegraph