The anti-doping bill, proposed to prohibit Nigerian athletes from using performance-enhancing drugs and other substances during or after sporting competitions, passed its second reading in the Senate on Wednesday.
The Executive bill, forwarded to the Senate by President Bola Tinubu last week, is expected to receive accelerated passage ahead of the Paris Olympics kicking off in July.
The long title of the bill reads, “A Bill for an Act to Domesticate and Enforce in Nigeria the International Convention against Doping in Sports, Establish the Nigeria Anti-Doping Centre to Implement Nigeria’s Obligations to the World Anti-Doping Code, International Standards and for Related Matters, 2024.”
When passed by the National Assembly, the bill is meant to domesticate and enforce in Nigeria the international convention against doping in sports through a center to monitor compliance.
Senate Majority Leader, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele, while presenting the bill for debate, told his colleagues that an independent body would be established by the law to enforce anti-doping regulations in sports.
Bamidele explained that the bill would also protect the rights of athletes to participate in doping-free sporting activities, in addition to promoting fair and equal treatment of all athletes and their health.
He stated further, “It will coordinate and harmonize effective sports anti-doping programs at the national and international levels, with regard to detection, deterrence, and prevention of doping.
“It will provide measures for the prevention and control of doping in sports.
“The UNESCO Convention had, in October 2011, made an interim arrangement whereby the National Anti-Doping Committee was established.
“However, its committee was not backed by legal instruments or legislation, making its operation and objectivity weak and unattainable.
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“As a result, the current administration deemed it necessary to introduce this bill because of its strategic importance and in recognition of the fact that Nigeria is a sport-loving country.
“The country has numerous sports enthusiasts who view sports as an epicenter of unity and togetherness.
“Therefore, it is imperative that the Senate aligns itself with the reasoning of the Executive as this bill seeks to bring about improvement and ensure fair play in the sporting environment.”
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Sports, Sen. Suleiman Abdulrahman-Kawu, in his contribution to the debate, cited the upcoming Paris Olympics as one sporting event where Nigeria is expected to participate in full compliance with all international sporting regulations.