NSC Budgets N2.1bn in 2026 for Ogun Sports Festival Already Held in 2025

The 2025 National Sports Festival was held in Ogun State from May 16 to May 30, 2025, and was formally declared open by Vice President Kashim Shettima.

However, a review of Nigeria’s 2026 federal budget by SaharaReporters has revealed that the National Sports Commission (NSC) allocated N2.1 billion for the “promotion and organisation of the National Sports Festival 2025 in Ogun State,” despite the event having already taken place and Ogun State not being scheduled to host another edition in 2026.

The allocation raises questions about the purpose of the expenditure, as the festival was fully conducted in 2025. During the 2025 fiscal year, the Federal Ministry of Sports Development—now the National Sports Commission—had already budgeted N3 billion for the promotion and organisation of the 2025 National Sports Festival in Ogun State.

Beyond federal funding, Ogun State also committed substantial resources to hosting the event. A review of the state’s 2025 budget showed that N2.6 billion was spent on hosting the festival during the 2024 financial year, while an additional N2.3 billion was appropriated in the approved 2025 budget for the same purpose.

Budget performance documents further revealed that in 2024, Ogun State spent N36.5 million on overhead costs related to the festival and N2.652 billion on capital expenditures tied to hosting the event. In the 2025 financial year, the state budgeted N285 million for personnel costs and another N1.261 billion for capital expenditures associated with the festival.

Despite these extensive expenditures and the successful hosting of the 2025 festival, the National Sports Commission has designated Enugu State as the host of the 2026 edition. Preparations for the Enugu-hosted festival had already begun, with the Federal Ministry of Sports Development budgeting N185 million in 2025 for initial preparations. In the 2026 fiscal year, an additional N129.5 million was allocated for “preparation for the National Sports Festival, Enugu.”

When contacted, the Special Adviser to Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun on media and strategy, Kayode Ogunmade, told SaharaReporters that the state has no plans to host another National Sports Festival in 2026.

“We cannot host such a huge event twice in a year,” Ogunmade said.

He also dismissed claims that Ogun State incurred debts from hosting the festival.

“We do not host events and then run into debts. We do not do things that we are not capable of. We are not indebted due to hosting of the event,” he stated.

Reacting to the N2.1 billion allocation by the National Sports Commission in the 2026 budget for “promoting and organising the National Sports Festival in Ogun State,” Ogunmade said only the commission could explain the rationale behind the expenditure.

He suggested that the commission may be planning other sporting activities in the state.

“The NSC as a national body maybe plans an event in Ogun State. You know the state is now a centre of sports development,” he said.

When asked whether such plans could be related to another National Sports Festival, Ogunmade said he was unaware of any such arrangement.

“I am not aware that we are hosting another National Sports Festival as government spokesperson,” he insisted.

It remains unclear why the National Sports Commission included funding for an already concluded event in the 2026 fiscal year, despite previous federal and state budgetary provisions for the 2025 festival.