Kwara Sports Commission Dissolves All State Associations Over Governance Concerns

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The Kwara State Sports Commission has announced the dissolution of all sports associations in the state with immediate effect.

The decision was contained in a statement released on Thursday by the Commission’s Press Secretary, Saheed Abdullahi, following a board resolution at its sitting on September 12, 2025.

According to the statement, the dissolution is aimed at injecting “new, committed, and passionate members” into the associations while retaining some active former members to improve service delivery.

The Commission directed affected officials to hand over all documents, records, and materials to their respective secretaries as part of the transition process.

“While appreciating the contributions of the outgoing members, the Commission urged them to continue supporting the development of sports in Kwara State and to respond promptly whenever called upon in future,” the statement added.

AFN Suspension Fallout

The move comes amid ongoing controversy surrounding the Athletics Federation of Nigeria’s (AFN) indefinite suspension of the Kwara State Athletics Association.

The suspension followed revelations that a banned coach, Hammid Muritala, had been allowed to participate in athletics activities despite serving a 10-year ban. Muritala admitted in 2023 to administering banned substances to a youth athlete in Ilorin.

Despite being under suspension since October 14, 2022, Muritala was part of Kwara’s contingent to the Golden League in Benin City earlier this year, prompting disciplinary action from the AFN.

Reacting to the issue at a press conference in Ilorin, the Chairman of the Kwara State Sports Commission, Bola Magaji, vowed that officials responsible for the lapse would face sanctions.

“We have the future of young athletes to think about, and officers responsible for the lapse resulting in the sanction will face the music,” Magaji said, while assuring that efforts were ongoing to get the AFN to review its decision.

Next Steps

The Commission has promised to restructure the dissolved associations with credible replacements to ensure stronger compliance with national and international sports standards.