…Accuses the commissioner of embarrassing act
By Joel Ajayi
Athletes from Ogun State, hosts of the ongoing 24th National Sports Festival ,NSF, tagged Gateway Games, staged a protest yesterday in Abeokuta over unpaid bonuses and allowances.
The disgruntled athletes locked the gates of the Games Hostel, effectively preventing athletes from other states from accessing competition venues.
Sources revealed that the athletes held the State Commissioner for Sports, Mr. Wasiu Isiaka, responsible for the delay in payments. The funds, reportedly disbursed to the Commissioner’s account since Sunday, were neither distributed nor communicated to the contingent.
With the festival scheduled to end on Friday, May 30, the athletes seized the opportunity yesterday morning to demand their entitlements. Following the resolution of the issue and payment of their dues, the athletes resumed participation in the afternoon, with many events concluding under floodlights.
In a related development, athletes from Enugu State hosts of the next edition in 2026 also boycotted events on Wednesday due to similar complaints of unpaid bonuses.
The closing ceremony is scheduled for today, with athletes expected to depart tomorrow.
