SaharaReporters Exposes N877m Stadium Fencing Bill Amid Dubious NSC Spending

SaharaReporters has uncovered records showing that the National Sports Commission (NSC) spent a staggering N877 million on fencing works at Abuja’s Moshood Abiola Stadium.

According to details available on the federal payments portal, Govspend, the commission made two separate payments on October 8, 2025, to the same contractor, Fassociates Nigeria Limited, for the same project.

One transaction amounted to N236.3 million, while another payment of N641 million was disbursed the same day, both tagged ‘fencing of Moshood Abiola Stadium.’

This revelation raises serious questions about transparency and accountability in government spending.

The duplication of payments for a single project, executed on the same day, underscores what critics describe as a bizarre and troubling pattern in the NSC’s financial management.

SaharaReporters further noted that this expenditure comes against the backdrop of questionable budgetary allocations.

In the 2026 federal budget, the NSC earmarked N2.1 billion to ‘promote and organise’ the 2025 National Sports Festival in Ogun State, an event that had already been held between May 16 and May 30, 2025.

This allocation appeared despite the fact that Enugu State had already been designated as host of the 2026 edition, with preparatory funds of N185 million released as early as 2025 and an additional N129.5 million budgeted in 2026.

Records also show that the Federal Ministry of Sports Development, before being restructured into the NSC, had budgeted N3 billion for the 2025 festival, while Ogun State itself committed billions from its own budget to host the event.

Yet, despite these massive expenditures, the same festival reappeared in subsequent federal allocations, raising suspicions of mismanagement or deliberate inflation.

The revelations by SaharaReporters highlight a troubling trend of questionable spending practices within Nigeria’s sports administration, where projects appear duplicated and funds allocated to events already concluded.