2018 NYG: Team Kwara Athletes Storm State House Over Camping Allowance

By Niyi Busari Hosts of the 2018 National Youths Games, Kwara state athletes stormed and blocked the entrance of the state house on Monday around 5pm over non payment of their allowances. The commissioner for Youth and Sports Development Kwara state, Hon. Muyideen Olaniyi Alalade had promised to pay the sum of N15,000 as the camping allowance for each athlete before the end of the 10-day tournament. The athletes according to impeccable source competed during the tournament with empty stomach as there were no provision for feeding of the athletes during the 4th national youth games. The aggrieved youth seeing that the allowance might not be paid as at Monday September 17th when the money was meant to be paid in cash to the athletes, took to street in protest. The protest which started inside university premises saw many of the angry athletes singing war songs, heading towards the government house in Ilorin. In a deliberate move to stop the government from embarrassment, policemen stopped them at the exit gate of the university. After several hours of pleading and arguments some of the athletes escaped and headed to the secretariat. www.bsnsports.com.ng scooped that the bottleneck of interbank transaction was responsible for the embarrassment as the money could not be paid on Monday but Tuesday. Though, the state sports commissioner, Hon. Muyideen Olaniyi Alalade wanted to pay the sum of N7,000 to each athlete and pleaded that they should come for the balance on Tuesday but they were not satisfied with the explanation. They however went on to storm the government secretariat in protest for non payment of their allowances. One of the athletes who spoke with www.bsnsport.com.ng lamented and recounted his sufferings beforeband during the tournament. "We trained with empty stomach but endured because we were promised that we will receive money during the competition. We were surprised as the money were not paid to us till now. They kept deceiving us and that is why we have to protest to get our money. " We suffered a lot, there was no provision for feeding of the athletes during the game unlike other states." Team Kwara finished 9th on the final table of the 4th National Youth games with 5 gold, 9 silver and 4 bronze medals.