WITH barely three months to the start of the
2016 Rio Olympic Games, the Minister of Youth
and Sports, Barr. Solomon Dalung has cried out
over the inability of the country’s contingent to
embark on overseas training.
Dalung who appeared yesterday before the Senate
Committee on Sports said already the 78 athletes
that have qualified ought to have started their
foreign camping but for the lack of funds. He
regretted that the N2.9 billion which President
Mohammed Buhari released last year for the 2015
All Africa Games as well as the preparation for
the Olympic was not effectively utilized for the
purpose for which it was released. However,
Dalung vow-ed that every effort would be put in
place to unravel how the money was expended.
This is however, contrary to claims by the former
Director General of the defunct National Sports
Commission, Mallam Alhassan Yalkmut that he
left behind over N640 million after the All Africa
Games.
It was however, gathered the money was
transferred into the Treasury Single Account, TSA
introduced by the APC government of President
Muhammadu Buhari.
Nevertheless, the Minister while expressing the
positives so far said Nigeria has succeeded in
making payments for the country’s participation
as well as paying for the accommodation of the
contingent. “Let me say that this administration
will do everything to unravel what happened to
the money, I will assure you of that.”
Earlier the Chairman of the Senate Committee on
Sports, Senator Obinna Ogba said the legislative
arm of government has done everything during the
budget defence to make sure that the athletes got
all that will make them to excel adding that the
federal government should do all it nerds to do to
adequately prepare the athletes for the games

source: vangaurdngr.com

Another excuse for potential failure