Abuja – The National Sports Commission (NSC) on Monday said it planned to spend N5.54 billion for its activities in 2014.

The Director-General of the commission, Mr Gbenga Elegbeleye, disclosed while defending the commission’s 2014 budget proposal before the House of Representatives Committee on Sports in Abuja.

Gbenga Elegbeleye

Elegbeleye told the committee that N4.11 billion of the budget estimate was recurrent cost while capital items would gulp N1.42 billion.

Out of the recurrent cost, he said that N2.92 billion was for overhead cost, while N1.19 billion would be spent on personnel cost.

After the presentation, the committee Chairman, Mr Godfrey Gaiya, described the session with the commission officials as satisfactory and directed that the director-general should “take a bow”.

A member of the committee, Mr Alphonsus Irona, had moved a motion that it would amount to underestimating the director-general if the commission’s budget proposal was subjected to scrutiny.

Elegbeleye was a former member of the House of Representatives and was chairman of the committee on sports.

He represented Akoko North East/Akoko North West constituency of Ondo state.

“The NSC DG having occupied the exalted position of Chairman House Committee on Sports, we will be under estimating our support for him if we cross examine this estimate.

“Mr Chairman, it is my candid submission that he and his team should leave because he knows the right thing.

“Having been at this side of the divide and now that he is on the other side, I am of the opinion that he will do the necessary things.

“I therefore move the motion that the director-general and his team be graciously asked by the committee to leave,’’ Irona said. (NAN)