Sports ministry disclaims diverting funds for basketball players
The Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development has responded to allegations implying its officials have misappropriated funds meant for the payment of bonuses and allowances of players and officials of the country’s basketball teams.
This was made known in a press statement signed by Ismaila Abubakar, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development released on Wednesday.
According to the statement, the secretary made an attempt to explain the reasons for the delay while an order for prompt payments was also made.
Read the full press statement below…
Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development Denies Allegations its Officials Shared Basketballers’ Monies, Donations intact in CBN account of the NBBF.
The Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development has denied allegations made in a press statement used in a section of the media and in a video clip that its officials shared some monies donated to the Men and Women Basketball Teams ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
The Ministry wishes to make the following clarifications:
1. The $230,000 Dollars donated to the Basketball teams by the Banks under the Adopt-a-Team programme of the Ministry is intact in the Nigeria Basketball Federation’s (NBBF) official domiciliary account domiciled with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
2. That only the 12 female Team members of D’Tigress have supplied their foreign account numbers. The Ministry waited for the account numbers of the Male Team to be supplied so that the processing of payments can be one-off as requested by the CBN.
3. The Ministry has requested the CBN to commence the processing of the payment to the Female Basketball Players immediately. The Male will be paid as soon as their account details are supplied.
4. The Ministry wishes to state further that all outstanding -Olympics and Paralympics Games allowances and bonuses are being processed and only slowed down by funds availability.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Finance has been fully furnished with details of the outstanding allowances and payments due to the NBBF and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and efforts are being made to secure the release.
Ismaila Abubakar
Permanent Secretary
Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development
Background Story: ‘How Nigerian Officials Diverted $100,000 Meant For Women Basketball Team…’
On Tuesday, 12th of October, 2021, Sahara reporter reported how officials of the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports diverted $100,000 meant for the women basketball team, D’Tigress, Owe each player $4,900 allowances.
Speaking with SaharaReporters, a member of the senior women basketball team, D’Tigress, revealed that their allowances, bonuses, training grant worth $4,900 had also not been paid.
She added that none of the D’Tigress team members would show up in a camp in preparation for the February 2022 FIBA World Cup if the Nigerian government failed to pay them.
Sports ministry disclaims diverting funds for basketball players | The Informant247 News Nigeria
