An investigation based on data published on the public payments portal, Govspend, has revealed that the National Sports Commission (NSC) approved consultancy-related contracts worth nearly ₦5 billion for sports infrastructure projects across Nigeria, with more than ₦1.49 billion disbursed in a single day.
The findings build on an earlier SaharaReporters investigation, which revealed that the commission is set to spend approximately ₦1.11 billion on pre-consultancy services for the construction and completion of mini sports centres across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
Govspend records showed that the NSC paid ₦332.993 million to Freund Limited on May 12, 2026, as a “30% payment of appropriation released for pre consultancy services for construction/completion of mini sports centres across six (6) geo-political zones in the country.”
Based on the payment description, the amount represented only 30 per cent of the consultancy contract, indicating a projected total consultancy cost of about ₦1.109 billion.
Beyond the consultancy contract for the mini sports centres, SaharaReporters’ review of Govspend records identified four additional consultancy-related payments, all made on the same day, May 12, 2026.
Collectively, those four contracts are projected to cost about ₦3.87 billion, bringing the estimated consultancy expenditure across the five projects to roughly ₦4.98 billion.
Among the additional payments, the NSC disbursed ₦335,679,069.77 to Falaha Engineering Services Limited as a “30% payment of appropriation released to the company for pre consultancy services for rehabilitation & construction of Olympic size swimming pools across the country.”
The transaction was processed under Voucher No. NSC/CAP/001/25. Based on the payment description, the total consultancy cost for the project is projected at approximately ₦1.12 billion if the 30 per cent payment ratio is maintained.
The investigation also found that the commission paid ₦335.695 million to Fassociates Consultants Limited as a “30% payment for pre-consultancy services for construction of Sports Secretariat to House the National Sports Commission headquarters and forty-two sports federation at Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja.”
The payment suggests that the total consultancy cost for the proposed project could rise to approximately ₦1.117 billion.
Govspend records further show that Arc & Space Konsult Int’l Ltd received ₦372.98 million as a “30% payment of appropriation released of contract for the pre consultancy services for completion & upgrading of 200 room athletes hotels at package b, MANS, Abuja.”
The payment, processed through Voucher No. NSC/CAP/08/2025, points to a projected consultancy cost of about ₦1.243 billion.
On the same day, the company also received ₦117.11 million under Voucher No. NSC/CAP/32/2025 as a “30% payment of appropriation released for pre consultancy services for the construction of anti-doping laboratory (WADA compliance),” indicating a total consultancy fee of about ₦390.37 million for that project.
In total, the five consultancy contracts examined by SaharaReporters are projected to cost approximately ₦4.98 billion, with about ₦1.49 billion already released as 30 per cent mobilisation payments on May 12, 2026, alone.
The scale of the consultancy expenditure is expected to attract renewed scrutiny over government spending priorities, particularly as Nigeria continues to grapple with economic hardship, rising inflation and mounting pressure on public finances.
The payments also highlight the substantial sums committed to consultancy services before the commencement or completion of major sports infrastructure projects across the country.
Earlier, a lawyer, Festus Ogun told SaharaReporters that it was suspicious and faulty for the Sports Commission to invest so much on consultancy services when it’s not actual construction.
He cited instance of consultancy payments for mini-Sports centres across the country.
He stated that the “Sports Commission has no business paying such huge amounts for consultancy for projects such as sports complexes, stating that everyone involved in the award and payments should be investigated.
“The Commission has no business paying such amounts just for consultancy aimed at building mini-Sports centres, it is unthinkable even for anywhere in the World to pay hundreds of million naira for such.”
He also queried whether spending billions of naira only on consultancy to build mini-sport centres by the Federal government when state governments are building similar complexes, is the immediate need of a country languishing in poverty.
“Already, all over the country state governments are building sport complexes, it is not the job of the Federal government to spend hefty amounts to build these in geo-political zone. The worry again is if this should be the major investment of the Federal government for a country whose citizens are languishing in poverty,” he told SaharaReporters.
