Olusegun Adeyemo
The Ogun State Government has expressed disappointment over the protest over unpaid allowance by athletes representing the state in the 22nd National Sports Festival.
The Journal Nigeria reports that the athletes had blocked the entrance of the Games Village at Babcock University at Ilishan-Remo, restricting the movement of other athletes whose events were to start by 8 a.m. at the MKO Abiola Sports Arena in Kuto and the Alake Sports Centre in Ijeja.
The state government, in a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, said the protest was inconsistent with the values and objectives the state upholds.
He noted that the athletes acted out of impatience, as all necessary arrangements had been concluded for the payment of their allowances on Tuesday.
“Governor Dapo Abiodun remains deeply sensitive and committed to the welfare of all participants at the festival,” Akinmade said. “There is no circumstance under which he would allow Ogun athletes to suffer or be neglected.”
“The protest earlier today by a few athletes is not only unfortunate but also uncalled for. It stands in stark contrast to the immense success the state has recorded in hosting the festival—from the grand opening ceremony to the impressive performance of Team Ogun,” the statement continued.
He further disclosed that payment of allowances had already commenced, with athletes receiving bank alerts as scheduled.
“Those who protested did so in error. It was a clear case of impatience,” he concluded.
It was later gathered that the athletes received payments of ₦40,000, as promised by Governor Dapo Abiodun, along with an additional ₦140,000 as their festival allowance.
However, the athletes insisted that the agreed allowance was ₦210,000, calculated at ₦15,000 per day over a 14-day period.
“We were paid ₦50,000 this morning, which was the governor’s promise, but to our surprise, they started paying ₦140,000 as the festival allowance instead of the agreed ₦210,000,” one of the athletes lamented.
Meanwhile, prior to the start of the sports festival, Governor Abiodun pledged cash rewards of ₦2.5 million for every gold medallist from the state, ₦1.5 million for silver, and ₦1 million for bronze medallists.
Ogun State currently holds third place on the medals table with 48 gold, 38 silver, and 47 bronze medals.
