In Kwara, para athletes, sports commission chairman trade words over alleged marginalization

In another round of twists and turns that has characterised the dealings between the Kwara State sports commission and para athletes in the state, tensions boiled over on Monday as some Para athletes shut down the state stadium in Ilorin for hours over the alleged removal of their representative from the state sports commission board by the Executive Chairman, Kwara State Sports Commission, Bola Mogaji.

For hours, the para-athletes prevented athletes, coaches and other workers from gaining entry into the stadium.

The intervention of a Senior Special Assistant on Special Duty to the Governor, Abdulrazak Jiddah, and Special Assistant on Security, Moshood Gobir later l saw the protest die as police were brought in to enforce law and order before free access into the stadium was allowed.

Jiddan, however promised that to take their grievances to the appropriate quarters.

Speaking to newsmen at the stadium, Teslim Balogun, pioneer Power Lifting champion in the state and leader of the protesters, alleged that Mogaji, the sports commission chairman  has thoroughly marginalized the special athletes in the state.

He accused the sports commission Chairman of allegedly removing Balikis Abolore, the representative of the para-athletes on the board of commission, and accused the chairman of under-declaring allocations provided for para-athletics competitions.

Balogun, who noted that Abolore’s stipends have been stopped also cited an instance in 2022 when the governor allocated N20 million for their competition only to be told later by the KSC boss that only N10 million was paid by the governor.

“The chairman does not have our best interest at heart”What we are paid as stipends is nothing to write home about.” Said Balogun who claimed that para-athletes are poorly paid by the state and can’t readily be employed in the KSC despite winning laurels for the state.

However, the Kwara State sports commission chairman, Mogaji, refuted the allegations of the para athletes.

Speaking to journalists in his office, he noted  that the para-athletes’ protest was as a result of a reform being carried out by the commission.

He explained that the KSC board which was of two categories: the Statutory Board and non-statutory Board had been reduced to only one.

“The non-statutory where Abolore and some others belong was dissolved leaving the statutory one in place,” he said.

“Since their allowances come from the Secretary to State Government’s office, I have little or nothing to do with their money.

“Moreover, the state government won’t pay money to board members who are no longer with the commission,” he added.

Explaining further, he said it was not only the representative of the para athletes that was affected by the development, stating that other four non-statutory members were also affected.

However, the commission further made available a list of para coaches and athletes currently on the commission’s payroll which are 18 in all, engaged despite an embargo on employment by the state government.

The list included Mariam Eniola Bolaji the para badminton champion currently WSL3, who is engaged as assistant coach/athlete at the KSC.

Others are Abdulkadir Kadir Rasheed Yusuf, Babatunde Abdulmalik, and Yakubu Abdulwahab, who are all coaches.

According to the list, 13 others draw stipends from the commission as athletes and these included: Kudirat Omoware Imam, Ganiyu Yunusa, Oyinloye Taiye Tolulope, Abdulmumin Ajarat, Asimau Isiaka Kikelomo, Adisa Aminat, Ibraheem Abubat Ajobi, Yahaya Ayuba, Yahaya Aishat, Olaosebikan Babatunde Rafiu, Suleiman Mariam DanMiegoro, Tunde Adekunle and SarafaDeen Oyeleye.

The chairman further debunked claims that he under-declared money made available for competition, saying “There was no time that I failed to declare what was made available for any competition.”

Protest of para athletes over several demands has become a recurrent incident in the state. In 2022, the special athletes protested the government to fund their participation in the maiden edition of the National para-sports festival in Abuja. They would later attend the event and won laurels for the state.

In March this year, the special athletes has also protested the payment of their awards both at the national sports festival Asaba 2022 and para games in Abuja 2023, as well as special monthly allocation for their welfare.