What appears a cold war may be brewing between the Sports Minister, Senator John Owen Enoh and the Chairman, House Committee on Sports, Hon. Ekene Adams, over the expenditure of the N12 billion intervention fund released by President Bola Tinubu to the sports ministry earlier this year.
Adams had accused the Sports Ministry of not being transparent in its spending of the money, saying that 80 per cent of National Sports Federations didn’t get a dime from the funds allocated to the sports ministry in the budget in each calendar year.
“For instance, foreign athletes who spent their hard-earned money on flight to and from Ghana for Africa Games have not received the refund; also, coaches and many other athletes have not received their monetary prize for medals won at the Games.
“The Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led government prioritised transparency and accountability in the allocation of funds, and the intervention funds for the Olympic Games should follow the same procedure by involving the National Assembly in the scrutiny of the funds. This will ensure that the athletes, coaches and Presidents of the Federations benefit from the funds.
Adams continues: “Transparency in the process is crucial to ensure that the funds are used effectively and efficiently for the development of Sports in Nigeria. Without proper oversight, there is a risk that the funds could be mismanaged or misappropriated leading to waste of resources and missed opportunity to support the dedicated athletes who put the country’s name on the global map.”
Adams advised the Federal Government to ensure that the intervention funds are scrutinised by the National Assembly before being passed.
But the Sports Minister, Senator Enoh fired back at the lawmaker, yesterday, saying: “If Hon Ekene knows what he’s talking about, he should have known that the N12b intervention on football by Mr President, which came through the Ministry’s account, was fully transferred to the accounts of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to the last kobo at my orders.
Speaking with The Guardian, an angry Senator Enoh said: “Everyone in both the Ministry and the sector acknowledged, applauded and noted this as a first and an uncommon display of transparency.”
The Sports Minister added: “If Hon Ekene is talking about the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics for which there is at present a request before Mr President for funding intervention, this request is fully backed up with a detailed breakdown of every expenditure item and funds release will be based on what is approved.”
