Ogun Athletes’ Protest Over Allowances at National Sports Festival Deemed ‘Impatient’ by State Government

In a development that disrupted the 22nd National Sports Festival, some athletes representing Ogun State staged a protest at the games village in Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, over unpaid allowances. The demonstration, which began at 5:30 am on Monday, involved blocking the gates of the facility and caused a delay in several scheduled events.

The Ogun State Government has responded by condemning the protest, describing it as an act of impatience. According to Kayode Akinmade, Special Adviser to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Media and Strategy, the protest was “unfortunate” and inconsistent with the state’s values and objectives. He reassured that Governor Abiodun is “deeply sensitive and committed to the welfare of all participants at the festival,” emphasizing that no athlete would be neglected.

The protest forced the postponement of all Wednesday’s events, except the marathon, causing inconvenience to other participants. The athletes eventually ended their demonstration after receiving partial payment of their allowances, reopening the gates at 12:43 pm.

While the athletes confirmed receiving N50,000 as promised by the governor and an additional N140,000, they insisted that the full allowance should be N210,000, based on an agreed rate of N15,000 per day for 14 days.

The festival, which Ogun State is hosting for the second time since 2006, is set to conclude on Thursday with a closing ceremony at the MKO Abiola Sports Complex in Abeokuta. Ogun currently holds third place on the medals table with a total of 149 medals, including 53 golds.