By Kehinde Okeowo
Aggrieved members of the Nigerian female basketball team, D’Tigress, have called out Nigerian sports officials for not paying their allowances.
They did so, via a video they released on social media, accusing officials of the Ministry of Sports of attempting to shortchange them.
In the video, they threatened not to honor the invitation for the 2022 World Cup qualification series if these outstanding allowances are still pending.
Nigerians have responded to the video, condemning the Sports Ministry for the way they treated the girls, despite their recent good showing.
In an apparent desperate attempt to save face, a video was uploaded on the official Facebook page of the Federal Ministry of Youth & Sports Development, on Thursday, to address their grievances.
Minister for Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare reiterated the government’s commitment to solving the problem, saying it was due to a cash crunch.
He promised that efforts are being made to resolve the issue, noting, however, that he was not in charge when they were owed and that part of the money has been paid.
He further said he does understand their grievances, but urged them to continue to sacrifice and remain patriotic.
“For athletes who wear the Nigerian colour, it’s a commitment, sacrifice. As a minister, I also ensure that I support them.”
“I work within a system where the allocation of resources is based on certain critical factors. What we have done is to ensure that we push the files and do the documentation. The processes are ongoing.
“I share the pains. These are allowances that are owed since 2017 when I was not even the minister.
“This is something that the government has on an incremental basis tried to address. I know that part of this money has been paid.
“I understand the pain and I want to put it on record that the ministry has never slept at a switch,” he said.
D’Tigers recently won the 2021 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket Championship in Cameroon, equaling Senegal’s record of winning three consecutive wins in the process.