Nigeria Anti-Doping Centre (NADC) Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer Mainassara Illo has warned that doping causes lasting physical harm to athletes and threatens the financial backing of sports in the country.
Illo spoke in Warri, Delta State, on the sidelines of a media inspection tour of the Warri City Stadium, which is being remodelled by Peculiar Ultimate Concerns Limited.
He said the federal government is finalising the operational structures of the agency following his appointment by President Bola Tinubu. According to him, the NADC’s primary mission is to build a clean-sport culture, protect young talent and ensure Nigeria complies with global standards.
Illo recalled meeting former elite athletes from the 1990s who now suffer serious health problems.
‘Every time you see young people use these substances, it is not just about performance, and it is not just about being unfair,’ he said. ‘I was in Glasgow recently with a former formidable Olympian [Yusuf Alli] who at one time held the African long jump record at [8.27] metres and we saw some of the people he competed against in the 1990s. Most of them were unable even to walk or stand straight.’
He added: ‘Most of that is attributable to the fact that they may have used substances or methods while they were excelling, and didn’t know that this was going to be the result. So, the health of the athlete is very, very important; fairness to the playing rules and regulations is important; most important is the integrity of the person, of the organisation, and of the nation.’
The NADC boss also warned of the commercial risk doping poses to sport, citing the scale of global tournaments.
‘Our sponsors in sports are often forgotten when we talk about health. If they know that we only go and take drugs and then come and play wonders, they will stop putting their money there,’ Illo said.
‘FIFA may have garnered between $11 billion and $13 billion on the platform of the 2026 World Cup alone, and all of it comes from sponsors. If sponsors walk away, sports suffer.’
Commending the ongoing infrastructure upgrades, Illo urged contractors nationwide to maintain uncompromising standards to safeguard athletes and the national interest.
He invited sports administrators and stakeholders to visit the NADC headquarters in Abuja to help rid Nigerian sport of performance-enhancing substances and methods.