Kwara Sports Commission Chair refutes allegation of funds diversion

Kwara Sports Commission Chair refutes allegation of funds diversion

The Executive Chairman of Kwara State Sports Commission, Coach Bolakale Mogaji has refuted the allegations of missapropriation of funds, nepotism and favouritism leveled against him by the Kwara para athletes.

Addressing Journalist at the conference room of the Kwara State Stadium Complex on Wednesday, Mogaji noted that the development was orchestrated in a bad faith and the claims of fund diversion were totally untrue and unfortunate.

It would be recalled that the para athletes had in a letter dated June 9th, addressed to the Kwara State Head of Service accused the Chairman of missapropriation of fund and called on Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq to prevail on him from spending the money meant for the Para games for another purpose.

“We have it on good authority that Mr. Mogaji collected the sum of twenty million naira (#20million ) for para games which held between April 9 to 16, 2022 from the state government, but said that the sum of N5 million out of the N20 million released was for something else” said the Athletes in the letter.

Mogaji admitted the fact that a sum of N20 million naira was approved for the festival upon the magnanimity of the Governor even though they requested for N15 million.

“The development can be described as corruption fighting back due to the dismissal of some of athletes suggestion that money meant for purchase of equipment be shared as against getting equipment to enhance effective and efficient training” said the helmsman who maintained that the remaining N5 million was dedicated to the purchase of sporting equipment.

The Chairman, in his response claimed that it took an extraordinary efforts to get the Governor to approve the fund for the state contingent to participate in the festival, saying that the programme was never captured in the State budget for the year under review.

He recalled how the para athletes locked the Stadium gate on the heels of their constant demand for the money before they went for the festival in Abuja.

“They locked the gate on Thursday (two days to the festival) as at 5:30 am and even though Police were around to douse the tension, I took it upon myself to appeal to them and suggested that we meet with the Deputy Governor who could also help us tell the Governor to fast track the approval” the Sports administrator remarked.

How N15 million was spent.

Mogaji further explained that in order to motivate the athletes and Coaches, the commission on compassionate grounds also paid allowances for 10 days instead of 8 days with transportation and other sundry issues attended to.

“We budgeted for the purchase of equipment, camping and playing allowance for athletes, Coaches, Secretaries, Helpers, Interpreters, Medical Personnel, Cleaners, drivers and guides for the visually impaired athletes, among others to assist the contingents , which were approved and carried out accordingly” he said.

According to the Chairman, the commission under his watch despite limited resources also initiated an upward increament in the payment of allowance to the Athletes which is higher than what their counterparts from other States received.

The ‘Genesis’ of the problem

While establishing other roots of the agitation of the para athletes among which was the rejection of the commission to share the money meant for the equipment to the athletes, Mogaji noted how the Captain of the para team was dismissed from service due to his absence from work for a calendar year.

“He admitted that his engagement in politics has kept him away from the work and we told him that the best thing for him to do is to resign. I directed that they should stop paying him the stipends they are giving to him. So, they were thinking the way the can pay us back was to blackmail us and many have found out that what we did was in order with the civil service ethos” remarked the Chairman.

While enjoining the Media on fair hearing in the event of any controversy, he urged the public not to mix politics with the current reality and development in the Sports sector of the State.