The Nigeria Police Force is committed to increasing security cover for stadia and youth centres in the country to guard against vandalization.
Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, gave the assurance at a meeting with the Minister of Youth and Sports Development Sunday Dare at the Force Headquarters in Abuja yesterday.
Mr. Dare had lamented that the stadia, built with billions of naira, are being vandalized owing to inadequate security while noting that materials for the planned renovation of the facilities may also get stolen if the appropriate steps are not taken to safeguard them.
IGP Adamu stated that “All of us are into sports. Concerning the security and other innovative things you came up with. It is something we have to support one hundred percent. We will create a unit to coordinate all the needs of the ministry for protecting facilities.”.
The Minister also directed that all National Sports Federations are to henceforth operate strictly by the Code of Governance 2017, which they subscribed to, as part of measures to enhance transparency in sports administration.
Dare also gave the directive on Friday during a meeting with the Federation of Elite Athletes Department (FEAD) of the ministry in his office at the National Stadium in Abuja.
He reminded the Secretaries-General that they have the responsibility to ensure that sports federations are not run as personal empires.
He said “Federations do not belong to presidents. Their mandates derive from the ministry, which has the responsibility to ensure that they do not go against this mandate.
“This administration is clear about this.
The minister said “No bank account should be in a federation president’s name. This administration is clear about its anti-corruption policy. Let us start to do things differently.”
He revealed that he will hold similar engagements with federation presidents and board members.
Director of FEAD, Tayo Oreweme, had briefed the minister that non-adherence to Code of Governance 2017 was responsible for the controversies rocking some sports federations.