NSC removes Judo federation, sets up caretaker committee, as stakeholders raise fresh concerns
By Uzor Odigbo
The National Sports Commission (NSC) has moved to reset the troubled Nigeria Judo Federation (NJF), approving a six-member caretaker committee following the dissolution of the federation’s board by the International Judo Federation (IJF).
The decision, announced on Thursday, October 8, 2026, is the latest development in a prolonged leadership crisis that has raised questions over the federation’s administration, electoral process and international standing.
The NSC said the action was taken pursuant to Section 16 of the National Sports Commission Act, 2023, with the caretaker committee serving as a transitional structure pending fresh elections and the inauguration of a new board.
Sheriff Hammed will chair the committee, while Ekuta Catherine Ewa, Sule Musa, Bashir Musa Bassey and Oladipupo Idowu will serve as members. Amayo Ngozi has been appointed secretary.
The committee has been mandated to oversee the federation’s day-to-day affairs, amend its constitution to meet requirements set by the IJF, convene an Annual General Meeting to consider and approve the amended constitution, and organise fresh elections.
It will also oversee the transition to the newly elected board.
While the NSC has presented the arrangement as a temporary measure designed to restore stability and bring Nigerian judo back into compliance with international requirements, the move has already triggered opposition from some stakeholders.
Some stakeholders who are unhappy with the arrangement have questioned the circumstances surrounding the constitution of the caretaker committee and the extent of the NSC’s influence over the eventual electoral process.
According to the stakeholders, the caretaker arrangement could be used to create an electoral structure favourable to a preferred candidate.
They alleged that the NSC’s intervention could ultimately become a ploy to install a candidate who would be dependent on the Commission and therefore susceptible to its influence.
The stakeholders, however, have not publicly established evidence that the NSC has selected or intends to impose a particular candidate, making the allegation a matter of concern raised by opponents of the new arrangement rather than a confirmed fact.
Their concerns nevertheless add another layer to an already complicated leadership dispute that has engulfed Nigerian judo.
The crisis has previously produced disagreements among stakeholders and Nigerian sports authorities over the legitimacy of the federation’s leadership and the conduct of its electoral process, eventually drawing the intervention of the IJF.
The NSC now says the caretaker committee must operate with transparency, diligence and impartiality, while placing the overall interest and development of judo above competing interests.
The Commission has also directed the committee to work with all relevant stakeholders throughout the transition.
The crucial test, therefore, will be whether the caretaker committee can conduct a process that is accepted as credible by the different factions within Nigerian judo and satisfies the requirements of the international federation.
The stakeholders opposing the arrangement said, the concern is not simply about who sits on the caretaker committee but who ultimately controls the process that produces the next NJF president.
The NSC says, the challenge is to demonstrate that the caretaker arrangement is genuinely transitional and reform-driven, rather than an avenue for determining the outcome of the next election.
Until that question is settled, the latest intervention may provide a pathway towards a new election, but it is unlikely to end the battle over who controls Nigerian judo.
