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2020 NSF: Early Release Of Fund, Preps Will Help Team FCT, Stakeholder Tells Minister
Joel Ajayi
A Stakeholder in sports has appealed to authorities of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA for early release of funds for the athletes that will represent the FCT at the forthcoming 2020 National Sports Festival, NSF in Edo, Benin city.
Tolulope Oguntimehin, a sports journalist and Vice Chairman, Sports Writers Association, SWAN, FCT chapter made the call in an interview on Monday.
He decried the unpleasant experiences Team FCT has experienced in past festivals including the 2018 edition as well as the just recently concluded National Youth Games in Ilorin.
Mr. Oguntimehin, therefore, called on the FCTA authorities to commence preparations ahead of time so as to avoid the ugly experience of 2018.
According to him, early preparation remains one of the important tools to improve on the performance of the Team FCT at the National event next year.
“We do not want what happened in the 2018 festival to repeat in 2020 in Edo State. I therefore appeal to the FCTA, FCT Social Development, and FCT Sports Council to commence immediate preparation and release of funds for athletes to raise the name of FCT high in Edo come to 2020 NSF.
“I am calling on FCTA to please release the fund for early and better preparation. We don’t want the experience of 2018 where athletes were left with no option than to protest before their allowances were paid them,
“In 2018, there were series of unpleasant stories regarding the welfare of Team FCT athletes as many resorted to carrying placards in protest of nonpayment of camp allowances.
“We do not want these experiences anymore. Sports should be given priority attention and necessary funds released on time for effective camping, preparations, and performance. FCT has all it takes to challenge Delta, Lagos, Rivers and other big states for the best sporting state in the country.
“I appealing to FCTA under the leadership of Malam Musa Bello for early and prompt release of funds that will enable athletes in FCT to start preparation as soon as possible,” he said.
It could be recalled that late preparation for the 19th edition of the NSF by Team FCT was a cog in the wheel of athletes’ performance at the 2018 edition held at National Stadium, Abuja.
Team FCT occupied 7th position at the last edition in Abuja with 21 Gold, 9 Silver, 24 Bronze.
The National Sports Festival was evolved to foster unity and help unearth new talents in the country. Described as Nigeria’s Olympics, it has produced prominent athletes for the country who had gone on to win continental and global medals for the country.
The festival, however, went into hiatus from 2012 but the intervention of the former minister of youth and sports, Solomon Dalung, who, despite daunting challenges, restored the festival in 2018.
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North East Commission; Group Heads For Court Over Reappointment of Former MD. Mohamed Alkali
…. Exposed How Billion was looted
Crises situations in the North East, might assume another dimension, as the North East Commission statutory established to address humanitarian crisis and infrastructural deficit, as a result of insurgency , is embedded in management crises over the appointment of the management Director.
Just as the Reappointment of Mohammed Alkali Goni, after serving his five years as tenure in office as the managing Director has become a matter of litigations, allegations of mismanagement of resources in the Commission has emerged over the weekend in Abuja .
Addressing newsmen, in Abuja on Saturday, North East pressure Group, said that the appointment of management Staff of the Commission has been politicise to a level where every appointment zone to the North East has been taken over by Borno state
The Coordinator of the group , Dr. Haruna Garus Gololo, a political activist, who led the group in a terse press Statement said that the group will be left with no option than to approach the Court to seek redress , if the concerned authorities failed to address the rot in the Commission.
” We are constraint, to draw the attention of the President and Commander of the Armed Forces, Ahmed Bola Tinubu, to the abuse of the Act. establishing the North East Commission ( NEC), by his Vice president, Senator Kashim Shettima over the statutory appointment of the managing Director of the Commission “
” The Act . clearly defined the procedures and laid down rules on the appointment of the Managing Director upon the approval by the National Assembly, which stipulates five years tenure, it is this act that has been subjected to gross Constitutional abuse with the Reappointment of Alkali, after years in Office ” he said.
Dr. Gololo, also an All progressive Congress ( APC), Chieftain said that
” Since the inceptions of this administration, every Federal appointments meant for North East is being taken to Borno state with impunity .”
Continue, the one coordinator of the All progressive Congress (APC), pointed at the appointment of the Minister of Agriculture and the recent Reappointment of Mohammed Alkali Goni, for another five years as against the Constitutional provisions “
” There are about six states in the North East, Gombe , Bauchi, Yobe and Borno, but all the appointment have been to Borno”
He warned that” we have concluded our investigations using some auditors and discovered the billions of stolen in the Commission, rather than addressing the challenges in North East, the management has become part of the crises because of their desperation to cover up the monumental Corruption”
Gololo, accused the Vice president, Senator Kashim Shettima of the implications of supporting the Reappointment of Alkali, as this may further create another crises in the Commission.
” We are given the presidency only Seven days to reverse the Reappointment of Alkali, because it is the turn of Gombe state, we have competent people in Gombe and Bauchi “
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