The Athletics Federation of Nigeria has hailed Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare’s intervention regarding payments of allowances to athletes that represented Nigeria in international and continental competitions in the last three years.
Athletes and officials had either been short paid, underpaid or not paid at all by the suspended president of the AFN and Sports Minister, Dare tweeted on Friday that he is going to effect these payments once they are verified.
Acting president of the AFN, Olamide George said the federation was grateful to the Sports Minister for trying to wipe the tears of our athletes, especially the young ones, who travelled by road to Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire for the CAA U-18 and U-20 championships last April.
‘We are indeed blessed to have Mr. Dare as Sports Minister, who understands that welfare of athletes remains a key factor in their development,’ said George in a press statement.
‘The Minister only recently in his new year message harped on welfare of athletes as one of his priority areas in his short term sports development plan and he is already matching his words with action. Like they say in local parlance, he is proving to be a talk and do Minister.’
George revealed that athletes and officials had been at the receiving end of the maladministration that highlighted the tenure of the suspended president of the AFN, Shehu Ibrahim Gusau.
‘Since the board was inaugurated in 2017, the administration of Gusua has been owing athletes and officials’ allowances. Coaches who accompanied the team to the World Championships in London in 2017 are still owed part of their allowances.