By Ishaya Ibrahim, News Editor
Nigerians are angry by the refusal of Sports Minister, Sunday Dare, to honour the contract with PUMA which could have secured sporting gears for athletes, plus cash rewards for those who win laurels for the country.
The athletes had to make do with one jersey each because the Sports Minister didn’t like the man who negotiated the PUMA deal, the ousted chairman of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Isa Gusau.
The PUMA deal guarantees free sporting kits for Nigerian athletes plus $15,000 reward for gold medalists, $5,000 for silver medalists and $3,000 for bronze medalists. But Dare is unimpressed because the deal was negotiated by Gusau. This has angered Nigerians.
@SavvyRinu says: “Let’s get this right. Sunday Dare took our athletes to Tokyo without tests, kits, moral, made them lose deals, medals, careers, many couldn’t compete because of a power tussle with another Nigerian? This man took this smelly APC politics behaviour to the Olympics?”
She added: “This guy refused to obey a judgement, upheld by an appeal court, recognizing Gusau as the AFN President because he’s in support of another. Everything Gusau tried to arrange, the tests, the PUMA sponsorship etc, was sabotaged as he isn’t Sunday Dare’s person? This is obscene!”
@SegunOyelakin1 also said: “The Minister of Sports Sunday Dare gave Ese Brume $7,500 for her medal. This is a fraction of what PUMA would have given her for her podium finish if she wore PUMA branded Nigerian Kits.”
@uchejombo poked: “In a Real-world Sunday Dare will have tendered his resignation for this Olympic handling but Naija na film.”
@_SirWilliam_: “People like Sunday Dare would be forced to resign over the Olympics embarrassment in some poorer countries. In serious countries, there would be an investigation leading to jail time. But Nigerian elites are thoroughly shameless.”
@firstladyship said: “PUMA terminated its four years contract with the Athletics Federation of Nigeria over breach of contract, but I can tell you Sunday Dare will not resign. Solomon Dalung did not resign, the next minister after Dare, will not resign as well. This is Nigeria, a country of zero consequence.”
She added: “Team Nigeria officials are shameless. They pocketed Samsung S20 Plus smartphones worth $1K each donated by Samsung, & refused to give the phones to the disqualified athletes. They dashed the dreams of these athletes and seized their Samsung gifts as well. Sunday Dare must resign.”