The Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) has inaugurated a six-man constitution review committee with a mandate to come up with a workable document that will lead to a better NOC in the Olympic movement.
Inaugurating the committee at the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) secretariat in Abuja on Friday, NOC president, Habu Ahmed Gumel, said the review and amendment is to ensure that the NOC constitution which is a statutory instrument “for our operations is not only fit for purpose but also meets the demand of emerging trends in sports and the Olympic movement.”
The six-man committee, headed by Mr Hussaini Garun-Garba, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), has till Friday, 30th August, 2024 as timeline to submit its report.
According to Gumel, the constitution of the NOC is sacred book after the Olympic Charter guiding the Nigeria Olympic Committee’s day to day dealings within its executive committee activities, its (NOC) board which consist of all the presidents of the Olympic sports and other partners such as the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Federal Ministry of Sports Development, sponsors and others.
“The constitutional review exercise which is being assigned to you today is a fundamental requirement for good governance and best practices globally especially within the Olympic Movement circles. It is in consonance with the principles of International Olympic Committee Charter which is constantly reviewed from time to time to keep it updated.
“I therefore urge these honourable constitution review committee members to do justice in the task ahead of them. As per guidelines, the Olympic Charter is there available for you for referencing and other renowned Olympic Committee constitutions can also be made available to you for benchmarking.
“Have in mind that the present constitution that you have at hand is in the custody of the International Olympic Committee and has set a standard. Therefore, whatever review you are going to undertake should not be nothing short to the actual as same will be sent to the General Assembly of the NOC for ratification and then to the IOC to confirm deem fit for updating the previous constitution,” the NOC boss stated.
Committee chairman, Garun-Garba, in his remarks, assured that the committee will engage with all relevant stakeholders and come out a befitting document that everyone will be proud of.
“Let me start by sincerely thanking the president and the executive committee of the NOC reposing this very sensitive confidence in us. On behalf of myself and members of the constitution review committee just inaugurated, let me assure the president and all executive members that we would do our best within our powers to deliver a cogent and potent review where necessary.
“We shall engage all relevant stakeholders to ensure that whatever views we receive in the process of this exercise are given justice in the review process. Constitution review generally is normal in every society because of human failures. A document that is produced by human beings is subject to review from time to time. And from the records before me since coming into effect of this constitution in 2001, there has not been a review or amendment.
“I think it’s high time that it is looked into with a view to review it where necessary for the changing times and circumstances. We shall do all that is necessary to give you a document that is befitting,” Garun-Garba said.
Among others, the committee terms of reference include: assess the potency or impact of the Nigeria Olympic Committee Constitution as currently in force since 2001; review the constitution and make recommendations for amendments where necessary in line with international best practices and the Olympic movement; request major stakeholders in the Olympic family especially the national sports federations (Olympic sports only) to submit memoranda or their contributions on the proposed amendment of the constitution; liaise with NOC secretariat for administrative support.
Other members of the committee are Messrs Babatunde Fatayi William, Emmanuel Agwu, Tunde Kazeem and Professor Mariam Suleiman while Mr Emmanuel Nweri will serve as the secretary.