NSC set to establish integrity unit

The National Sports Commission (NSC) has concluded plans to establish an integrity unit as part of its ongoing reforms to make Nigeria one of the world’s leading sports countries and to strengthen Nigeria’s zero tolerance for ethical misconduct.

Sequel to the recently concluded Council of Sports meeting in Calabar, where several decisions were taken to revitalise Nigeria’s Sports Development drive, the NSC has swiftly swung into action with the establishment of its Integrity Unit (IU).

The NSC, after securing the approval of the National Council of Sports to criminalise and institutionalise sanctions against age falsification in Nigerian sports, has now taken a further step to create a more structured approach towards its fight against ethical misconduct in sports with its Integrity Unit (IU) department.

The Director General of the NSC, Bukola Olopade, said the Integrity unit will work closely with all Sports Federations, the anti-doping unit, the athletes and the Elite and Podium board.

“The chairman, Mallam Shehu Dikko and I are very committed to institutionalising this reform because it will solve most of the problems Nigeria has been battling with in Sports at the international level for many years.

“The Integrity Unit will ensure Nigeria at all times is in line with global best practices, with the quality of athletes we present for international competitions in terms of both age integrity and doping conduct.

“As a top sporting country with a rich history in major international sporting competitions, we want to lay a very good foundation for our integrity profile to be very strong in the eyes of international Sports organisations”, the DG said.

He added that the establishment of the Integrity Unit is a core component of the Renewed Hope Initiative for Nigeria’s Sports Economy ( RHINSE) agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

READ ALSO FROM SPORTING TRIBUNE