Record Shows Nigerian Sports Commission Spent N877million To Fence Abuja’s Moshood Abiola Stadium

A review of public records on the federal payments portal, Govspend, has shown that the National Sports Commission spent a total of N877 million on fencing works at the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja.

Payments seen by SaharaReporters on the portal indicate that the funds were disbursed in two separate transactions on the same day to the same contractor for the same project.

According to the records, on October 8, 2025, the National Sports Commission paid N236.3 million to Fassociates Nigeria Limited for the “perimeter fencing of Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja.”

On the same day, another payment of N641 million was made to the same company, Fassociates Nigeria Limited, also for the “fencing of Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja.”

The two payments, both approved and executed on October 8, 2025, brought the total cost of the fencing project to N877 million, based on details available on Govspend.

The expenditure comes amid broader concerns over the National Sports Commission’s spending patterns, particularly in relation to budgetary allocations for national sporting events.

Earlier, SaharaReporters had reported that a review of Nigeria’s 2026 federal budget revealed that the National Sports Commission allocated N2.1 billion to “Promote and organise National Sports Festival 2025 in Ogun State,” despite the fact that the event had already been held and Ogun State is not scheduled to host another edition in 2026.

The 2025 National Sports Festival took place in Ogun State between May 16 and May 30, 2025, and was formally declared open in May by Vice President Kashim Shettima.

Despite the conclusion of the event, the same festival reappeared in the 2026 federal budget, raising questions about the rationale behind the N2.1 billion allocation.

Records also show that in the 2025 fiscal year, the Federal Ministry of Sports Development — now restructured as the National Sports Commission — had already budgeted N3 billion for the “promotion and organisation of the 2025 National Sports Festival Ogun State.”

In addition to federal spending, Ogun State committed substantial funds to hosting the festival.

A review of the state’s 2025 budget showed that N2.6 billion was spent on hosting the National Sports Festival in the 2024 financial year, with another N2.3billion allocated in the approved 2025 budget for the same purpose.

Budget performance documents further indicated that in 2024, Ogun State spent N36.5million on overhead costs related to the festival and N2.652billion on capital expenditures connected to hosting the event.

For the 2025 financial year, the Ogun State government budgeted N285 million for personnel expenditure related to the festival and an additional N1.261 billion for capital expenditures.

However, despite Ogun State having already hosted the 2025 National Sports Festival, the National Sports Commission has designated Enugu State as the host of the 2026 edition.

Budget records show that as early as 2025, the Federal Ministry of Sports Development allocated N185 million to begin preparations for the 2026 National Sports Festival in Enugu State.

In the 2026 fiscal year, a further N129.5million was earmarked for “preparation for the National Sports Festival Enugu.” (SaharaReporters)