Athletes representing Ogun State at the ongoing 22nd National Sports Festival (NSF) have taken to the streets to protest unpaid allowances, blocking the main entrance to the Games Village at Babcock University in Ilishan-Remo.
The protest, which began early Wednesday morning, left scores of athletes from other states stranded, particularly those scheduled to compete in morning events.
Many athletes from other states were unable to exit the Games Village to reach their competition venues on time, resulting in significant disruptions to the festival’s logistics.
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Eyewitnesses described the atmosphere as tense yet peaceful, with protesting athletes demanding immediate intervention from the Ogun State Government.
They accused officials of reneging on financial commitments made to the team before the commencement of the Gateway Games 2024.
One of the athletes representing Ogun State speaking on condition of anonymity said that they had held a meeting over the protest last night and proceeded with their plans this morning.
According to him, they were yet to be paid and do not know how much the state would pay them in terms of allowances.
Before the start of the sports festival, Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, pledged a cash reward of N2.5m for every gold medallist from the state, N1.5m for silver and N1m for bronze medallists.
The state is third on the medals table with 48 gold, 38 silver and 47 bronze medals.
Ogun State is the host of this year’s National Sports Festival and the incident has raised questions about the host state’s preparedness and commitment to the welfare of its athletes.
With competition schedules disrupted and frustration mounting among participants, there are growing calls for top government officials in the state to step in and resolve the crisis swiftly to prevent further escalation.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Ogun State Ministry of Youth and Sports nor the Local Organising Committee (LOC) has issued an official statement.
